By Omohimuan Emakhu Benson
At least 20 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, including a journalist and a senior emergency services official, according to health authorities in the territory.
The strikes targeted areas in Khan Younis, Jabalia, and Nuseirat. In Jabalia, journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and members of his family died when their home was struck. In Nuseirat, Ashraf Abu Nar, a high-ranking civil defense official, and his wife were killed in a similar strike.
There has been no official response from the Israeli military.
Gaza’s media office, run by Hamas, said Abu Warda’s death brings the total number of journalists killed since the war began on October 7, 2023, to 220.
Meanwhile, the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli forces operating inside Gaza, using explosives and anti-tank rockets.
Israel’s military said it struck 75 targets on Friday night, including weapons storage sites and rocket launchers.
The war began after Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Since then, more than 53,900 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.
Amid the fighting, humanitarian conditions continue to worsen. On Friday, six Palestinians guarding aid trucks were killed in Israeli airstrikes, Hamas officials said. The U.N. has warned that only a “teaspoon” of aid is reaching Gaza due to a months-long blockade.
Though Israel said 305 aid trucks entered Gaza between Monday and Thursday via the Kerem Shalom crossing, aid agencies say at least 500 to 600 are needed daily. Delivery efforts are also being hampered by looting, particularly around Khan Younis.
A coalition of Palestinian aid groups said only 119 trucks have made it to civilians since Monday, with many intercepted by armed groups. The U.N. World Food Programme said 15 flour trucks bound for bakeries had been looted, reflecting growing desperation and hunger.
“Hunger, fear, and the uncertainty of future aid deliveries are driving insecurity,” the agency said.