Israeli air strikes targeting areas across Gaza have resulted in the deaths of dozens of individuals, as reported by Palestinian medical sources and media outlets.
A medical representative informed Al Jazeera that at least 15 individuals lost their lives in air raids directed at the city of Khan Younis located in southern Gaza early Friday.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA disclosed that journalist Yasser Abu Namous and his mother were among the victims of the strikes occurring before dawn. As per WAFA’s reports, 30 other individuals were killed in different assaults throughout the region. This includes 10 individuals who died from an attack on a four-story house in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City. Another eight people were victims of air strikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp situated in central Gaza. An additional 12 casualties, which included a child, were reported from an Israeli strike in Rafah.
The exact number of casualties as reported by Al Jazeera could not be independently verified.
Separately, four individuals were reported dead after an Israeli attack in the occupied West Bank. Among the deceased was a member of the armed faction known as the Jenin Battalion, as conveyed by Al Jazeera’s reporter Nida Ibrahim from Ramallah.
Gaza’s Health Ministry stated that the conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in the deaths of more than 7,000 Palestinians, including close to 3,000 children, since Israel initiated its offensive against Hamas. The Israeli administration has justified its actions as a response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas, which they claim led to at least 1,405 fatalities, a majority of whom were civilians.
The ongoing conflict has seen debates over the actual death toll, with both sides presenting conflicting figures. United States President Joe Biden expressed skepticism over the Palestinian-reported numbers, claiming a lack of confidence in them. In an attempt to authenticate its numbers, Gaza’s health ministry released a list comprising over 7,000 names paired with government identification numbers on Thursday.
