Camilla Jessen
Civil Defense says children and women among victims; IDF claims strike targeted Hamas infrastructure.
At least 44 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip between midnight Wednesday and Thursday, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense agency, as fighting intensifies in the war-torn territory now enduring over 600 days of conflict.
The most devastating strike reportedly hit a residential home in the Bureij Refugee Camp in central Gaza, where 23 people were confirmed dead, and several others remain missing under the rubble.
Mohammed Al-Moughayir, a representative for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told AFP that the strike on the home caused widespread destruction and civilian casualties.
“Others were injured, and several people were reported missing,” he added.
This was reported by Digi24.
Gunfire at Aid Center
Al-Moughayir also reported that two more people were killed early Thursday morning near the American Aid Center on the Morag axis in southern Gaza, adding that several others were injured by gunfire from Israeli forces.
The aid center, part of a U.S.-supported humanitarian initiative, has been central to recent aid delivery efforts in Gaza.
Israel has said the plan aims to prevent Hamas from seizing supplies, but the effort has drawn criticism, including from the United Nations, over its impact on civilian safety.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded to inquiries about the Bureij strike and the aid center incident by stating they were “examining the information.”
In a separate statement, the military said it had targeted “dozens of terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip” over the past 24 hours.
These included “military structures, observation posts, snipers posing a threat to Israeli troops, tunnels, and other terrorist infrastructure.”
Devastation and Rising Death Toll
AFP footage from the Al-Bureij area showed local residents digging through collapsed concrete and twisted metal, searching for survivors and bodies beneath the rubble.
This latest airstrike adds to the mounting toll of civilian deaths in Gaza, where humanitarian groups continue to warn of a worsening crisis amid stalled ceasefire negotiations and limited aid access.
The ongoing war has displaced hundreds of thousands, devastated Gaza’s infrastructure, and left hospitals overwhelmed.
Recent weeks have seen an uptick in military operations, as Israeli forces pursue what they describe as the “complete dismantling of Hamas capabilities.”
As of Thursday, no new statements had been issued by Israel regarding the specific targets in the Bureij strike, and it remains unclear if Hamas operatives were present at the site.