Israeli occupation forces launched a series of deadly airstrikes across Gaza, on Wednesday, Day 712 of the ongoing genocide, killing and scores of civilians, including a journalist, women and children, and injuring dozens more. The attacks targeted residential areas, displacement routes, and locations near hospitals, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.
Medical sources have confirmed that the Israeli army killed at least 99 Palestinians, including 77 in Gaza city and the northern parts, among them women and children, in addition to wounding dozens more.
One of the deadliest strikes occurred near the Shifa Medical Complex in western Gaza, where families were attempting to flee south.
At least 13 people were killed and dozens more wounded, many in critical condition. Eyewitnesses described scenes of devastation, with bodies scattered across the street and civilians rushing to transport the injured amid panic and chaos.
Separate strikes hit a residential apartment near Al-Quds Hospital in Tal Al-Hawa, killing two Palestinians and injuring eight others.
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In another attack on the Sahaba Street, medical teams at the Saraya field hospital reported receiving three fatalities and 11 wounded.
Medical sources across Gaza confirmed that the total number of deaths since dawn has risen to 81, as Israeli bombardment continues unabated.
Footage circulating online shows charred and dismembered bodies, underscoring the scale of destruction and the vulnerability of civilians caught in the crossfire.
Al Jazeera reported that Israeli missiles struck areas surrounding the Shifa and Al-Ahli hospitals, killing at least 15 people outside Shifa and four more near Al-Ahli.
These facilities are among the last functioning hospitals in Gaza, serving thousands of displaced and wounded Palestinians. The strikes disrupted emergency operations and forced evacuations, with medical staff warning of total collapse.
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The Gaza Health Ministry reported that Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital was hit three times, forcing 40 patients to flee while another 40 remained trapped inside.
Furthermore, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the killing of journalist Mohammad Ala’ Sawalhi, who died while covering the aftermath of the Israeli strikes near the Shifa hospital.
The syndicate described the incident as part of a systematic campaign against media workers and institutions, aimed at silencing independent reporting and concealing violations against civilians.
Sawalhi’s death adds to the growing toll of media professionals killed by Israeli forces, now exceeding 250. Despite unprecedented risks, journalists continue to report from the ground, determined to preserve the historical record and hold perpetrators accountable.
The latest escalation coincides with a communications blackout across northern Gaza, confirmed by NetBlocks and the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. Israeli strikes reportedly targeted key infrastructure, severing internet and phone access and isolating communities from emergency services and the outside world.
The blockade and bombardment have triggered the UN to officially declare famine, on August 22nd, with starvation claiming hundreds of lives, including infants.
International condemnation continues to mount. Qatar, which has hosted ceasefire negotiations, described the ground offensive as part of a “war of genocide.”
A recent UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israeli actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide, citing deliberate attacks on civilians, destruction of medical infrastructure, and efforts to prevent births among Palestinians.
Human rights organizations warn that the targeting of hospitals and medical personnel constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law.
Doctors Without Borders confirmed the death of one of its staff members, Hussein Najjar, a nurse, and father of three, killed by shrapnel near his tent in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza.
The United Nations has confirmed that ongoing Israeli bombings in Gaza have triggered the forced displacement of more than 40,000 people over the past two days, with the situation deteriorating rapidly.
Speaking at a daily press briefing, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned that conditions in Gaza are worsening by the hour. He noted that Israeli forces have issued new evacuation orders, demanding that residents leave their homes within the next 48 hours.
“Thousands are trying to flee amid continued fighting,” Dujarric said. “Roads are congested, people are hungry, and children are suffering from psychological trauma.”
UN field partners monitoring population movements reported that approximately 40,000 people fled southward on Monday and Tuesday alone.
Since mid-August, nearly 200,000 individuals, primarily women, children, and the elderly, have been forced to walk for hours to escape bombardment and reach safer areas.
Dujarric also highlighted warnings from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which said that Israeli attacks are pushing pregnant women to give birth in the streets without access to hospitals, medical staff, or clean water.
The agency estimates that 23,000 women in Gaza are currently deprived of essential maternal care, and that roughly 15 children are born each week without any medical assistance.
Asked about the impact of the escalating violence on next week’s UN General Assembly meetings and prospects for advancing a two-state solution, Dujarric acknowledged the gravity of the situation.
“The Secretary-General is fully aware that the ongoing war in Gaza and the worsening conditions in the occupied West Bank are pulling us further away from the path to a two-state solution,” he said. “But we will not allow the realities on the ground to undermine our efforts or our vision for a just and peaceful future.”
As the death toll rises and Gaza’s infrastructure collapses, press advocates insist that documenting the crisis remains essential.
Since the start of the genocide in October 2023, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 65,062, with over 165,697 reported injuries, the majority of whom are children and women. Thousands remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
