Gaza City, June 19: At least 21 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, coinciding with the third day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, according to medical sources.
The airstrikes targeted three homes in the central city of Deir al-Balah, resulting in 13 fatalities and numerous injuries. Additional casualties occurred when an Israeli drone targeted a group of civilians in the central Gaza Strip, killing two people.
Further strikes in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City left several more dead and injured. In Gaza City itself, two civilians were killed by a drone strike, and two others perished in a bombardment east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Another Palestinian was killed by Israeli army fire east of Rafah.
Witnesses reported that Israeli forces also demolished dozens of houses in the Saudi neighborhood of Rafah. The offensive continues despite a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. Israel faces international condemnation for its ongoing military operations, which began after an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
To date, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 37,350 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, with more than 85,400 injured, as reported by local health authorities. The extensive destruction has left large areas of Gaza in ruins and the region under a crippling blockade restricting food, clean water, and medical supplies.
The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of genocide and recently ordered it to halt operations in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge before the city’s invasion on May 6.
