GAZA, (PIC)
Gaza City lived one of the most difficult nights it has witnessed during the recent period, after a series of simultaneous Israeli raids targeted a number of inhabited residential apartments in separate areas of the city, which resulted in the martyrdom of nine citizens and the injury of more than 15 others, including women and children.
This night brought to mind what happened at dawn on March 18, 2025, when Israel decided to return to the war once again and violate the first ceasefire agreement.
According to field data and testimonies of rescue teams, the attacks began at 02.35 at dawn on Thursday, when four residential apartments in the neighborhoods of al-Shati, Sheikh Radwan, and Tal al-Hawa were subjected to simultaneous targeting, which caused a state of panic among the residents.
Martyrs and wounded
Civil Defense and ambulance crews rushed to the bombing sites immediately upon receiving the reports, where they worked under complex field conditions to evacuate the injured and retrieve the martyrs from among the rubble, amid great challenges resulting from the lack of equipment and rescue means necessary to deal with large-scale incidents.
The Civil Defense reported that among the martyrs were two children with special needs from the Labad family, in addition to three women, while the injuries were distributed between cases of varying severity and were transferred to hospitals and medical centers to receive treatment.
The spokesman for the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Basal, said that the Civil Defense crews responded to all incoming reports and dealt with all the targeted sites despite the acute shortage of capabilities and resources.
He explained that the rescue teams face increasing difficulties in performing their duties as a result of the continuation of targeting and the expansion of the volume of humanitarian needs compared to the available capabilities.
He added that the limited heavy equipment and search and rescue tools constitute an obstacle to rapid access to victims in some cases, especially when residential buildings suffer significant damage or partial collapses as a result of the bombing.
The targeted neighborhoods witnessed a state of alert throughout the dawn hours, as residents flocked to the vicinity of the targeted sites in search of their relatives or to help in the evacuation operations, while the efforts of the rescue teams continued for hours to ensure that there were no missing or trapped people under the rubble.
In the streets surrounding the bombing sites, the effects of destruction appeared clear on the buildings, commercial shops, and parked vehicles, while glass fragments and pieces of concrete scattered in the vicinity of the targeted areas, reflecting the volume of the destructive power of the raids.
The Civil Defense confirmed that the continued targeting of densely populated residential areas worsens the volume of humanitarian risks and increases the pressures placed on emergency and rescue crews, especially in light of the continuous decline in operational capabilities and the shortage of fuel, equipment, and spare parts necessary for the continued work of response teams.
With the dawn of the early morning hours, grief hung over the families who lost their children in these attacks, while citizens flocked to hospitals and the homes of the victims to participate in the funeral ceremonies and offer condolences.
Crimes continue without stopping
The raids that targeted Gaza City at dawn Thursday come in the context of a continuous series of Israeli attacks witnessed by different areas of the Strip despite the declared ceasefire agreement.
According to official data, the Israeli attacks since the beginning of the ceasefire taking effect have resulted in the martyrdom of at least 930 Palestinians and the injury of 2,859 others, while bombing and shooting operations continue in several areas of the Strip on an almost daily basis.
The Israeli occupation army committed more than 3,000 violations of the ceasefire since it entered into force in October 2025 until late May 2026, which included airstrikes, artillery shelling, and direct shooting.
UN and humanitarian institutions confirmed that the security situation in Gaza is still far from stability, pointing to the continuation of military attacks and the falling of civilian casualties despite the passage of months since the announcement of the ceasefire.
These institutions warned that the continuation of military actions and restricting the arrival of humanitarian aid worsen the humanitarian crisis and undermine the chances of stabilizing the calm.