GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (BN24) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 34 people in Gaza City overnight, including children, Palestinian health officials said Sunday, as Israel intensified its offensive in the war-torn enclave just days before the United Nations General Assembly takes up the issue of recognizing a Palestinian state.
Doctors at Shifa Hospital, where most of the bodies were brought, said the victims included 14 people killed in a late-night strike on a residential block in southern Gaza City. Among the dead was a nurse from Shifa, his wife, and their three children.
Israel’s military did not comment on the attacks, which marked one of the deadliest nights in recent weeks.
Escalating offensive
The latest assault comes as Israel presses forward with an operation launched this week in Gaza City, where nearly two years of bombardment have already devastated neighborhoods and created a famine, according to humanitarian groups. Israeli officials have not set a timeline for the campaign but signaled it could last for months. They say the offensive is aimed at pressuring Hamas to surrender and release hostages taken in the October 2023 attack.
Over the past 23 months of conflict, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, roughly 90% of the population has been displaced, and entire districts have been reduced to rubble, health authorities in Gaza say.
On Sunday, the Israeli military claimed it had killed Majed Abu Selmiya, identified as a Hamas sniper preparing to launch attacks in Gaza City. He was the brother of Shifa Hospital’s director, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, who denied the allegation and said Israel was seeking to justify civilian deaths. “My brother was 57, he had hypertension, diabetes, and vision problems,” he told The Associated Press.
UN and international response
The strikes unfolded on the eve of the annual UN General Assembly in New York, where several Western nations — including the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Malta, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Portugal — are preparing to formally recognize a Palestinian state. Portugal announced its decision Sunday.
In Israel, peace activists welcomed the move. More than 60 Jewish and Arab organizations, calling themselves the It’s Time Coalition, released a statement urging an end to the war, recognition of Palestinian statehood, and the release of hostages. “We refuse to live forever by the sword,” the coalition said. Tens of thousands of Israelis joined street protests Saturday demanding a ceasefire and a hostage deal.
Despite those calls, a truce remains out of reach as Israeli bombardment continues and evacuation orders push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza City toward designated “humanitarian zones” in the south. Aid groups warn the forced displacement is worsening Gaza’s already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Pope condemns ‘forced exile’
In Rome, Pope Leo XIV denounced what he described as the “forced exile” of Palestinians, calling Gaza a “martyred” land with no future built on violence and vendetta. Speaking to thousands in St. Peter’s Square, he praised Catholic organizations providing aid and renewed his appeal for peace.
Meanwhile, relatives of Israelis still held hostage by Hamas accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of condemning their loved ones to death by prolonging the war instead of negotiating their release.
Associated Press story
