KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes overnight and into Sunday killed 10 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, in a series of attacks across the Gaza Strip, according to local health officials, as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its 19th month with no sign of easing.
Among the dead were two families, each wiped out when strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing two children and their parents in each attack. Another child and a man riding a bicycle were also killed in separate incidents, according to Nasser Hospital, which received all the bodies from the latest wave of bombings.
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately comment on the strikes. The military has repeatedly stated that it targets Hamas militants and infrastructure while taking measures to avoid civilian casualties, blaming the high death toll on the group’s use of densely populated civilian areas as cover.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, as Israel maintains a strict blockade that has cut off food, medicine, and emergency aid for more than 10 weeks. The blockade is part of an intensified pressure campaign aimed at forcing Hamas to release the remaining hostages taken during its October 2023 cross-border attack.
Aid organizations warn that food stocks are running dangerously low and that widespread hunger and malnutrition are taking root in the war-torn territory. The conflict, which reignited in March after the collapse of a temporary ceasefire, has already displaced roughly 90% of Gaza’s 2 million residents and left vast areas of the enclave in ruins.
Since the beginning of the war, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Most of the dead are believed to be women and children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths in its figures.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and taking 251 hostages. While many of the captives have since been released through ceasefire deals, 59 remain in Gaza, with roughly one-third presumed to be alive.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has provided unwavering support for Israel’s military efforts, is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates this week for a regional tour aimed at addressing the escalating crisis. Notably, his itinerary does not include a stop in Israel.
In a separate development, Israeli authorities announced Sunday that they had recovered the remains of Sgt. 1st Class Tzvi Feldman, who was killed during a battle with Syrian forces in southern Lebanon in 1982 and declared missing for over 40 years.
The Israeli military confirmed Feldman’s remains were located and retrieved from deep inside Syria, but declined to disclose details of the operation. Feldman disappeared during a battle in the Lebanese town of Sultan Yaaqoub, along with five other soldiers. Over the years, two of the missing were returned alive through prisoner swaps, while another’s remains were recovered in 2019 with the help of Russia. The fate of the remaining two soldiers remains unknown.
“For many long years, I have authorized numerous covert operations to locate the missing from Sultan Yaaqoub, and I promised the Feldman family that I would never stop working to bring their son home,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Cases involving long-missing soldiers carry profound emotional weight in Israel, where military service is compulsory for most Jewish men and the return of fallen troops is a matter of national commitment.
