On Thursday, Israeli forces intensified their bombardment across the devastated, starved, and besieged Gaza Strip, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, including children and women. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a dire warning about the humanitarian crisis, describing the situation in Gaza as catastrophic, with severe hunger and malnutrition worsening conditions for the population.
Many Palestinians were killed and others wounded on Thursday when Israeli warplanes bombed a home belonging to the Abu Doqqa family in northern Abasan Al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Media sources reported that Israeli warplanes targeted the home in the Al-Shahayda area with multiple missiles, resulting in numerous casualties, including children and women. Israeli warplanes also launched an airstrike on Qizan Al-Najjar, south of Khan Younis.
On Thursday evening, a young girl was killed, and two Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli airstrike targeting northern Gaza.
Media sources reported that Israeli warplanes bombed the Qleibo area, north of Jabalia refugee camp, killing the child and injuring two civilians, who were transported to the Indonesian Hospital for treatment.
Furthermore, Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike and fired several shells on Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.
Additionally, several Palestinians sustained injuries when Israeli forces shelled a home in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
Medical sources reported that an Israeli drone attack on Al-Shuja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, killed two Palestinians, one of whom was a child, and caused multiple injuries.
Another Palestinian was killed, and dozens were wounded, when an Israeli drone bombed a home near Al-Banna Bakery in Deir Al-Balah, in central Gaza.
Since the early hours of the morning, various areas across Gaza have been subjected to intense bombardment, causing dozens of fatalities, injuries, and widespread destruction of homes and civilian property.
Medical sources confirmed that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes across Gaza since dawn has risen to at least 30, in addition to dozens of injuries, including children, women, and the elderly.
Meanwhile, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, conducted a coordinated attack on Israeli forces invading Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, in Gaza’s southernmost area.
In an official statement, the brigades reported that their fighters successfully lured an Israeli armored unit—comprising four military Humvees and an armored transport truck—into a carefully planned ambush. The unit was then struck with explosive devices before fighters engaged in direct combat with the soldiers.
According to Al-Qassam, its fighters advanced toward the Israeli troops, engaging them in close-range combat, resulting in multiple casualties.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic,” warning that two million people in the besieged enclave are suffering from severe hunger.
Speaking to reporters at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on Thursday, Ghebreyesus highlighted the unprecedented challenges facing global health funding, as donor countries continue to cut contributions, leading to one of the most significant financial crises in the organization’s history.
Meanwhile, Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO’s Emergency Programs, issued a stark warning about the devastating impact on Gaza’s children.
As Israel continues its aid blockade and bombardment of Gaza, Dr. Samer Attar, an American surgeon who’s just returned recounts what he witnessed: “I don’t think a horror movie could fictionalize how these scenes are any more sick, twisted and disturbing.” pic.twitter.com/RHI1Powxrh
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) May 1, 2025
“We are destroying the bodies and minds of Gaza’s children. We are starving them. We are complicit,” Ryan told reporters at the UN-affiliated organization, urging the international community to take immediate action.
“As a doctor, I am outraged. This is unbearable. The current level of malnutrition is causing immune system collapse,” he added, noting a sharp rise in pneumonia and meningitis cases among women and children.
Hospitals in Gaza received the bodies of 18 Palestinians and 77 wounded in the past 24 hours. Many remain trapped under the rubble, as rescue efforts continue despite limited resources and ongoing Israeli bombardment.
Since March 18, following Israel’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the toll has reached 2,326 killed and 6,050 injured.
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 52,418, the majority of whom are children and women, since the Israeli assault began on October 7, 2023.
The number of injuries has climbed to more than 118,091 since October 7, while many victims remain trapped beneath the rubble, with emergency and civil defense teams unable to reach them.
