54 civilians killed in airstrikes on Gaza humanitarian corridor

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Posted by AI on 2025-05-15 14:21:20 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-12-23 17:12:05

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Hospitals struggle to cope after deadly strikes on densely populated neighborhood, with deaths expected to rise.

Gaza's crowded hospitals struggled to cope on Wednesday after Israeli airstrikes on a densely populated neighborhood in the southern part of the Gaza City killed at least 54 people and injured hundreds more. The toll was expected to rise as rescuers dug through rubble in the wake of the overnight strikes, which targeted the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, a historic area home to a number of charities and civil society organizations.

The area has a heavy concentration of civilians, with residents saying many of those killed and injured were youngsters enjoying the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in which families typically stay up late. Hours before the strikes, locals had posted videos on social media showing teenagers enjoying a relatively rare breezy summer evening.

For years, Gaza's civilians have shouldered the brunt of a long-simmering Palestinian-Israeli conflict that shows no sign of abating. More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since 2008, according to the United Nations.

The Palestinian Authority's ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said in a letter to the Security Council that at least 36 of the victims were civilians, and that an elementary school and a hospital were among the buildings hit. "Under the shroud of darkness, chose to commit this cruel massacre," Mansour wrote.

Israel's army said it had fired on Gaza targets involving "the detonation of explosives on its perimeter fence," and that its missile strikes were in response to Palestinian incendiary balloon launches from the coastal territory. It said its actions were in accordance with "the rules of engagement."

As the conflict rages on, many in Gaza where some two million people have lived under a 15-year blockade and periodic rounds of intense warfare are left with a sense of dread about what is to come.

"I cannot describe it with any other word than horror," said Aya, a resident of Gaza City, who, like other interviewees, requested that her full name not be published. "These strikes happen every single time. It's terrifying. You try to enjoy the few moments of calm, and then suddenly, horror."

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