ALBAWABA- At least 21 Palestinians have been killed since dawn today in a new wave of Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip, according to medical sources reported by Al Jazeera.
The latest escalation underscores the growing toll of the ongoing conflict, which has devastated large swaths of the besieged enclave.
Israeli occupation helicopters unleashed heavy gunfire on the southern outskirts of Khan Yunis, while artillery shelling continued to pound the eastern areas of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.
In a separate incident, a Palestinian fisherman was shot dead by Israeli forces while working off the coast west of Gaza City—yet another civilian casualty far from active combat zones.
Adding to the environmental and economic toll, Israel's Channel 12 reported that Israeli forces have begun deliberately torching thousands of acres of Gaza’s agricultural land, deepening the crisis in a territory already facing food scarcity and infrastructure collapse.
Meanwhile, in occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy protection from Israeli police, heightening tensions across the region.
Israeli officials remain defiant.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reiterated the government’s commitment to achieving "victory without concessions," while Minister Israel Katz cited October 7 as a pivotal moment, declaring that the Israeli army must be stationed between "our towns and the enemies" in Lebanon, Syria, the northern West Bank, and Gaza.
Katz also emphasized that retrieving Israeli hostages from Gaza remains the military’s top priority, stating, “Our soldiers are now fighting in Gaza to return the kidnapped and destroy Hamas.”
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reported that families are resorting to eating unsafe food due to severe shortages.
The agency warned that needs are rapidly escalating and called for the immediate restoration of humanitarian access to the besieged population.
