Two Palestinians were killed and several others were injured, on Friday, when Israeli occupation forces bombed a water desalination plant in the Al‑Shuja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
The attack struck one of the Strip’s most vital civilian facilities, marking a new escalation against essential infrastructure and deepening the already severe humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.
Local sources said the strike caused extensive damage to the desalination plant, raising fears of a worsening shortage of potable water at a time when much of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed during the onslaught.
Hundreds of thousands of residents rely on these facilities for their daily water needs, and any disruption threatens to accelerate the collapse of basic living conditions.
Israeli forces carried out additional attacks across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, killing and wounding Palestinians in several areas, as the army continued its violations of the ceasefire agreement for the 190th consecutive day, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health and the Government Media Office.
In Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire toward the tents of displaced families in the Tal ath‑Thahab area, injuring three Palestinians, including a woman who suffered critical wounds.
In Jabalia, in northern Gaza, one Palestinian was shot in the Halawa area, where thousands of displaced civilians remain without adequate shelter or services.
On Thursday evening, nine‑year‑old Saleh Badawi was killed, and three Palestinians were injured when Israeli forces opened fire from military cranes on Kashko Street, east of Gaza City.
|Thursday: Including Child, 2 Siblings, Israeli Army Kills Four In Gaza|
Earlier the same day, Israeli forces shot and killed Mohsen Awda Mohsen Ad‑Dabbari, 38, south of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
Also on Thursday, an Israeli drone strike near the Abu Tammam School in Beit Lahia killed two brothers, Abdul‑Malek and Abdel‑Sattar Al‑Attar, who were transferred to the Shifa Hospital. In Gaza City, Rezeq Al‑Mallahi, 33, died of wounds sustained earlier in the week when Israeli forces bombed a police vehicle on the Nafaq Street.
Residents in western Khan Younis recovered the remains of Ismael Al‑Haddad, who had been missing since the early months of the war and was found under the rubble of his destroyed home.
Children of Gaza and War: Ongoing Suffering pic.twitter.com/td1wZkTJkF
— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) April 16, 2026
Throughout Thursday night and Friday, Israeli tanks and artillery continued firing east of Khan Younis, Jabalia, and Gaza City, targeting agricultural lands and areas near displacement sites.
Israel has committed approximately 2,400 violations of the “ceasefire” since it took effect on October 11, 2025, including shootings, shelling, drone strikes, arrests, and the continued siege.
The water crisis in the Gaza Strip is worsening severely.
Accessing water is no longer easy; it now requires long waiting under the sun and great effort.Water scarcity has become a daily reality that weighs heavily on people’s lives and increases their suffering. pic.twitter.com/LdXAKbP2RK
— Osama Abu Rabee أسامة أبوربيع (@dn_osama_rabee) April 17, 2026
These violations have resulted in at least 765–766 Palestinians killed, more than 2,140 injured, and 760 bodies recovered from destroyed neighborhoods.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that the cumulative toll since October 7, 2023, has risen to 72,345 Palestinians killed and 172,259 injured.
Humanitarian agencies warn that Gaza’s health system is nearing total collapse, with repeated Israeli attacks on medical facilities, severe shortages of medicine and fuel, and ongoing fire near displacement camps and civilian infrastructure despite the formal ceasefire.
