DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (BN24) — At least 15 Palestinians, including eight children and two women, were killed Thursday in what hospital officials said was an Israeli airstrike that hit a crowd waiting for nutritional supplements outside a clinic in central Gaza.
Video footage from al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah showed the bodies of children and other civilians laid out on the floor as medics tended to the wounded.
The U.S.-based aid group Project Hope, which operates the clinic, condemned the attack as a clear breach of international law. Israel’s military said it had targeted a “Hamas terrorist” and expressed regret for any civilian casualties.
Thursday’s strike was among multiple attacks reported in Gaza as ceasefire negotiations continued without a breakthrough. According to local health authorities, 66 people were killed in Israeli operations that day.
Project Hope said the strike occurred outside its Altayara health clinic as families waited for treatment for malnutrition, infections, and chronic illness.
“Suddenly, we heard the sound of a drone approaching, and then the explosion happened,” witness Yousef al-Aydi told AFP. “The ground shook beneath our feet, and everything around us turned into blood and deafening screams.”
Verified video posted on social media showed the aftermath, with adults and children lying in the street—some motionless, others crying out in pain.
At al-Aqsa’s mortuary, grieving relatives wrapped children’s bodies in white shrouds before performing funeral prayers.
One woman, Intisar, said her pregnant niece Manal and Manal’s daughter Fatima were among the dead. Manal’s son was hospitalized in intensive care.
“She was queuing to get the children supplements when the incident happened,” Intisar said.
“For what sin were they killed?” another woman asked. “We are dying before the eyes and ears of the whole world. If people aren’t killed by the Israeli army, they die trying to get aid.”
Project Hope President and CEO Rabih Torbay said the organization’s clinics had been “a place of refuge” and described the attack as “a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
“Horrified and heartbroken cannot properly communicate how we feel anymore,” Torbay said. “This cannot continue.”
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell called the incident “unconscionable.”
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck a member of Hamas’s Nukhba forces involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
“The IDF is aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals in the area. The incident is under review,” a statement said. “The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals.”
Elsewhere, Hamas-run Civil Defense officials said an Israeli drone strike in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, killed five people, including three children recovered from beneath sand and debris.
The escalation came as mediators in Doha sought progress on a ceasefire deal. A senior Israeli official visiting Washington said negotiations could still take one or two weeks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any ceasefire would require Hamas to disarm.
“If this can be achieved in negotiations—so much the better,” Netanyahu said. “If not, we will achieve it in other ways; by applying the might of our heroic army.”
Hamas accused Israel of “intransigence,” saying it had agreed to release 10 hostages but continued to demand a comprehensive agreement to end the war.
Meanwhile, the European Union announced an arrangement with Israel to open more aid crossings and protect relief workers.
The United Nations said it delivered its first fuel shipment to Gaza in four months, warning that the 75,000 liters provided would not cover even a single day’s needs.
Since Israel’s military campaign began in response to the Oct. 7 attack—which killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages being taken—Gaza’s health ministry says at least 57,762 people have been killed.
More than 90% of homes have been damaged or destroyed, and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter persist.
bbc.com
