At least 12 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed on New Year’s Day by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s health ministry. This comes as the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas grinds on into the new year, with devastating human and material costs.
A strike in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, one of the territory's most devastated regions since Israel's October ground offensive, killed seven people, including a woman and four children. At least 12 others were injured. The Israeli military said the operation targeted militants in response to rockets fired from Bureij overnight.
Another airstrike in the southern city of Khan Younis resulted in three fatalities, as confirmed by Nasser and European hospitals. Meanwhile, a third strike in the Bureij refugee camp killed a woman and a child, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.
The ongoing war, which began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, has claimed the lives of more than 45,000 Palestinians and displaced 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million. The initial Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of approximately 250 individuals, with about 100 still held hostage in Gaza.
As winter intensifies, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens. Tens of thousands of displaced residents live in makeshift tents along the coast, enduring freezing temperatures and frequent rainstorms. At least six infants and one other person have succumbed to hypothermia, the health ministry reported.
Charity kitchens, a lifeline for many in central Gaza, struggle to keep up with growing demands amid aid restrictions and skyrocketing food prices. Children queue for hours for basic meals such as rice, with resources frequently running out.
“Some of those kitchens close because they don’t receive aid, and others distribute small amounts of food and it’s not enough,” said Umm Adham Shaheen, a displaced resident from Gaza City.
As the war enters another year, its toll on civilians remains staggering. Amid the flashing lights of emergency vehicles, a grieving man carrying a child's body pleaded, “Are you celebrating? Enjoy as we die. For a year and a half, we have been dying.”
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