Israel Intensifies Gaza Bombardment, Dozens Killed/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ At least 23 Palestinians were killed overnight as Israel ramped up its strikes across Gaza. The renewed bombardment follows the breakdown of a ceasefire in the 17-month conflict. Reports also emerged of missing paramedics and a detained Palestinian filmmaker.
Gaza War Latest Quick Looks
- Israeli airstrikes killed at least 23 Palestinians overnight across Gaza.
- Strikes targeted areas in Khan Younis, Rafah, central Gaza, and Gaza City.
- Victims include a family of five killed in a tent near Khan Younis.
- Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 50,000 Palestinians have died in the war.
- A 9-member Palestinian paramedic team remains missing in Rafah.
- Israeli military claims strike killed a Hamas sniper posing as journalist.
- Al Jazeera says the journalist was a freelance reporter for its network.
- Palestinian Oscar-winning filmmaker Hamdan Ballal detained by Israeli military.
- Witnesses report settler violence and military involvement in West Bank.
- Israel says it targets militants; critics cite rising civilian casualties.
Israel Intensifies Gaza Bombardment, Dozens Killed
Deep Look
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 23 people overnight in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian medics, as Israel resumes its intense military campaign following the collapse of a ceasefire agreement. The strikes hit various parts of the territory, from the southern city of Khan Younis to central and northern Gaza, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation.
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, doctors confirmed the deaths of a family of five — two parents and their three children — who were killed when an Israeli strike hit their tent near the city. In central Gaza, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported receiving six bodies from three separate strikes, while Al-Awda Hospital said three more people were killed in a densely populated neighborhood in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
In Gaza City, a strike on a residential building killed five people and wounded a dozen more, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry emergency services.
The Gaza Health Ministry estimates the conflict has now killed more than 50,000 people and wounded over 113,000. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants, but Israel claims it has killed around 20,000 Hamas fighters, though it has not publicly presented supporting evidence.
The latest round of violence follows Israel’s October 7, 2023, military campaign launched in response to a deadly Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to the abduction of 251 people. Israel maintains that it targets only militants and blames Hamas for civilian casualties, accusing the group of operating within densely populated areas.
Missing Paramedics in Rafah
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a nine-member ambulance crew remains unaccounted for after being encircled by Israeli forces in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah on Sunday. The humanitarian organization said it has been denied access to the area since the incident.
The Israeli military responded that it had fired on ambulances and fire trucks in the area due to “suspicious activity,” alleging that the vehicles were not marked by emergency lights or signals and contained militants. No supporting evidence was provided.
Journalist Killed — Israel Alleges Militant Ties
Israel also claimed that Hossam Shabat, a Palestinian journalist killed in an Israeli airstrike Monday, was a Hamas sniper. The Israeli military said it obtained internal Hamas documents indicating Shabat had been trained militarily and was active in a Hamas battalion.
Shabat, a freelance reporter in his early 20s, had contributed to Al Jazeera and had previously been injured in an Israeli airstrike in November. The Qatar-based news network denied Israel’s allegations and accused it of trying to silence journalists. Shabat was widely followed on social media, with over 170,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), where he frequently posted videos and updates from inside Gaza.
Israel has banned Al Jazeera and accused several of its journalists of links to Hamas — accusations the network strongly rejects. Several Al Jazeera journalists have been killed or wounded since the war began.
Filmmaker Missing After Detention in West Bank
In the occupied West Bank, human rights lawyers and witnesses reported the detention of Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, one of the co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. Ballal was reportedly beaten by Israeli settlers and detained by Israeli soldiers during a raid on the village of Susiya.
Attorney Lea Tsemel said she has received no updates on Ballal’s condition nearly 12 hours after the incident. Israeli forces also detained two other Palestinians and claimed they had thrown rocks at troops. Witnesses disputed this account, describing a violent settler-led raid in which masked individuals, some in military uniforms, assaulted residents while soldiers detained Palestinians and allowed settlers to continue attacking the village.
The Israeli military said one Israeli civilian and three Palestinians were detained and transferred to police custody.
Growing Regional and Global Concerns
The resurgence of violence has reignited international concerns about civilian casualties and humanitarian access. The war, now in its 17th month, has devastated large swaths of Gaza, displaced hundreds of thousands, and severely strained hospitals, which continue to struggle with shortages of medicine, staff, and electricity.
With ongoing airstrikes and mounting death tolls, diplomatic efforts for a renewed ceasefire remain stalled, and humanitarian agencies are calling for immediate de-escalation and access to aid corridors.
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