In one of the deadliest single attacks in recent weeks, an Israeli naval strike on Monday devastated a seaside café in western Gaza City, killing at least 33 people, including women, children, a prominent photojournalist, and a visual artist.
Among the victims was Palestinian photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab, whose death brings the number of journalists killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to 228, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office. Abu Hatab was at the Al-Baqa Café when the strike occurred.
Acclaimed visual artist Frans al-Salmi also lost his life in the attack. Bayan Abu Sultan, a well-known journalist, was reportedly injured along with dozens of others present at the café.
The strike is part of a broader escalation of violence. Al Jazeera reports that at least 80 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air and naval bombardments across the Gaza Strip on Monday alone. This includes 57 fatalities in northern Gaza and 15 aid seekers near humanitarian aid distribution points in southern Gaza’s Rafah region.
Amid the intensifying violence, the United States has approved a controversial $510 million arms sale to Israel. The package includes 3,845 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits and additional targeting systems for the MK 82 bombs, according to the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
The Gaza Health Ministry has confirmed that the total death toll in Gaza since October 2023 has now risen to 56,531, with over 133,642 people wounded, many of them women and children.
As the death toll continues to climb, international calls for an immediate ceasefire have grown louder. However, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with critical shortages of food, medicine, and shelter for the displaced population.
