Children among dead as airstrikes and ground operations continue; Israeli military confirms soldier killed in northern Gaza
Image via Reuters
Gaza/Jerusalem – Israeli airstrikes and gunfire killed at least 23 people, including children, across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, June 29, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence agency. The renewed wave of violence follows Israel’s shift of military focus back to Gaza after concluding a 12-day conflict with Iran earlier this week.
Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the fatalities occurred at multiple locations in the besieged territory. “We transported 23 martyrs, including several children and women,” he said, describing the day as among the deadliest in recent weeks.
Children Among the Dead as Homes, Tents Hit
- In Gaza City’s Zeitun neighbourhood, two children were killed when an airstrike struck their home in the early hours.
- A drone attack on a tent sheltering displaced people near Khan Yunis killed five people, including a child.
- Four people were reportedly killed by Israeli gunfire in Rafah, in southern Gaza.
- Later in the day, three more people died in another airstrike on a residential home in Gaza City, the agency said.
A relative of the children killed in Zeitun, Abdel Rahman Azzam, described the attack as sudden and devastating.
“They bombed the house with a missile without any prior warning. This is a horrific crime. We sleep without knowing if we will wake up,” he said.
Israeli Soldier Killed in Northern Gaza Combat
In a separate development, the Israeli military confirmed the death of a 20-year-old soldier during fighting in northern Gaza.
In a statement, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that operations in the north would “intensify and expand” as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle Hamas’s military infrastructure.
The army also issued new evacuation orders for parts of Gaza City and surrounding areas, urging civilians to move toward Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian zone on the southern coast.
Homes Destroyed, Warnings and Chaos in the North
The fighting in northern Gaza appears to have escalated, with Israeli forces stepping up both aerial and ground operations.
In Jabalia, a northern town in the Gaza Strip, resident Ahmed Arar, 60, said his home was completely destroyed after receiving a warning call from someone claiming to be an Israeli army officer.
“About half an hour later, they bombed the house,” Arar told AFP by phone, adding that his family had already evacuated days earlier due to constant shelling.
Video footage filmed from southern Israel showed large plumes of smoke rising over northern Gaza throughout the day.
Background: The Gaza War Resumes After Ceasefire With Iran
The latest attacks come just days after Israel declared victory in a 12-day war with Iran, which ended in a ceasefire brokered by international mediators.
Israel’s renewed military attention is now firmly back on Gaza, where Hamas militants still hold Israeli hostages, following the October 7, 2023 attacks.
That unprecedented assault by Hamas led to the deaths of 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official data compiled by AFP.
In response, Israel launched a full-scale offensive on Gaza, which the Hamas-run Health Ministry says has killed at least 56,500 Palestinians, most of them civilians. The United Nations has stated that these figures are consistent with its own assessments.
Access and Verification Challenges Remain
Due to ongoing hostilities and media restrictions in Gaza, independent verification of casualty numbers and strike locations remains difficult. However, international agencies including the UN and humanitarian groups continue to monitor the situation and call for greater access and protection of civilians.
What Happens Next?
With hostilities intensifying once again, aid organizations fear a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military says its operations will continue until Hamas's military and operational capacity is eliminated.
Meanwhile, civilian casualties continue to mount, and efforts toward a long-term ceasefire remain stalled.