At least 20 Palestinians, including a journalist, were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Saturday, according to Gaza’s civil defense service, as Israel intensified its military operations amid the ongoing war with Hamas.
The strikes targeted several densely populated areas, including Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and parts of northern Gaza, which have seen a resurgence in Israeli attacks in recent days. Rescue workers said entire families were trapped under the rubble of flattened homes, and emergency crews were working through the night to locate survivors.
One of the dead was identified as journalist Mohammad Abu Hattab, who had previously reported on the conflict for local media. His killing has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates, who say journalists in Gaza are increasingly being targeted or caught in strikes while performing their duties.
In a statement, Gaza’s civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal confirmed the deaths and described the humanitarian situation as “catastrophic.” He accused Israeli forces of deliberately striking civilian areas. “The scenes we are witnessing are unimaginable—children, women, the elderly buried beneath the rubble,” Basal said.
The Israeli military said in a brief statement that it had targeted “terrorist infrastructure and operatives” in coordination with intelligence assessments. It did not directly address the reported civilian deaths or the death of the journalist.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued a condemnation of the attack, noting that more than 100 journalists have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023. “The death toll among media workers is unprecedented. Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted,” the CPJ said.
The Gaza health ministry reports that more than 35,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since the war began, with thousands more injured and infrastructure across the territory decimated. The Israeli assault followed Hamas’s October 7 attack, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel and led to the capture of over 200 hostages.
International calls for a ceasefire continue to grow louder, with humanitarian agencies warning that Gaza’s health system has collapsed, and millions are at risk of famine, disease, and displacement. Over a million residents have been forced to flee their homes multiple times, often finding no safe refuge.
Israel has maintained that it will not stop its military operations until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are released. Negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have stalled in recent weeks.
Saturday’s airstrikes, especially the killing of a journalist, are likely to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel and intensify scrutiny over its conduct in the war. UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire and the protection of journalists and civilians in conflict zones.
With the violence showing no signs of abating, Gaza remains gripped by devastation, and the prospects for peace grow more remote by the day. The deaths of 20 more Palestinians—among them a voice for the voiceless—add yet another layer to the spiraling humanitarian tragedy.
Source: Reuters
