Israel Gaza airstrikes/ Gaza bombings/ Gaza conflict escalation/ Newslooks/ Israeli airstrikes on Gaza killed at least 14 people, including women and children, as a Turkish-American activist killed by an Israeli soldier was buried. The strikes occurred amid ongoing efforts to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, a World Health Organization campaign to vaccinate children in Gaza against polio continues, despite the conflict.
Gaza Airstrikes and Activist’s Funeral: Quick Looks
- Airstrikes on Gaza: Israeli strikes killed 14 people overnight, hitting homes and tents housing displaced Palestinians.
- Victims: Among the dead were women and children in Gaza City and Khan Younis.
- Activist’s Funeral: Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was buried in Turkey after being killed by an Israeli soldier during a protest.
- Polio Vaccination Campaign: WHO vaccinated 559,000 Gaza children as part of ongoing health efforts despite the war.
Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza as Turkish-American Activist is Laid to Rest
Deep Look
Israeli airstrikes struck Gaza overnight, killing at least 14 people in the latest escalation of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The strikes hit homes in Gaza City, where three women and four children were among the dead, and tents in Khan Younis, where displaced Palestinians have been sheltering. These airstrikes follow earlier attacks this week on a tent camp and a United Nations school.
As the conflict raged on, friends and family in Turkey prepared to bury Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist from Seattle who was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier on September 6. Eygi, 26, was participating in a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank when she was fatally shot. Israeli authorities stated that the shooting was “indirect and unintentional,” while Turkey announced its own investigation into her death.
Eygi’s body was flown to her hometown of Didim, where a police honor guard received her coffin, draped in a Turkish flag. Her funeral, scheduled for Saturday, is set to take place in the coastal town of western Turkey. Eygi’s death has drawn widespread condemnation, including from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as calls for a cease-fire grow.
Meanwhile, efforts to vaccinate children in Gaza against polio continue despite the ongoing war. The World Health Organization reported that 559,000 children under the age of 10 have received their first dose, with plans for a second round of vaccinations set to begin later this month. The WHO hopes that temporary pauses in the fighting will allow the vaccination campaign to proceed, providing much-needed health care to the war-torn region.
The Israel-Hamas conflict, which began after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, continues to escalate. The initial Hamas assault killed around 1,200 people and abducted another 250, many of whom have since been released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Despite ongoing negotiations, Israel and Hamas remain locked in a war that has devastated Gaza and displaced nearly 90% of its 2.3 million residents.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 41,000 Palestinian deaths since the war began, with women and children comprising just over half of the casualties. However, the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its count. Israel asserts that it has killed more than 17,000 militants during the conflict, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens.
