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Israeli Strikes Kill 20 in Gaza as Assault Expands on Displacement Camps

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The Israeli military intensified its assault on Gaza City on Friday, killing at least 20 Palestinians, including seven children, according to medical sources. The attacks, which targeted both residential homes and displacement camps, marked a sharp escalation in Israel’s campaign.

Israel’s army said it now controls 40 percent of Gaza City and vowed to expand its operations. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) described the humanitarian situation as “unthinkable,” warning of worsening conditions for civilians trapped in the enclave.

In the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, displaced families sheltering in tents came under Israeli drone fire. Several children were killed, among them the son and daughter of Maha Afana. “I checked on my son and I found him lying on his back with blood running down from his nose and bleeding from the back of his head,” she said. Her daughter Noor was also killed in the same strike.

Elsewhere, attacks extended beyond Gaza City. In central Gaza’s Nuseirat area, Israeli forces struck makeshift shelters, killing members of Umm Nabil Al-Aish’s family. “They starve us, deprive us of water, displace us and kill our children, all while the world is watching,” she told reporters.

Visual evidence from the aftermath showed Palestinians searching through rubble in Gaza City, with tents and temporary shelters reduced to debris. Reuters images documented women and children inspecting destroyed shelters in the early hours of Friday morning.

The broader conflict continued to draw protests within Israel. On Friday, demonstrations were held across the country to mark 700 days since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks. More than 300 protests took place last month alone, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) group, the highest number since the war began.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces conducted what Palestinian media described as a “large-scale arrest campaign.” Local officials, including Haris village council head Omar Samara, were among those detained.

International responses have grown sharper. European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera became the first senior EU official to explicitly label Israel’s campaign in Gaza as genocide. At an event in Paris, Ribera said, “The genocide in Gaza exposes Europe’s failure to act and speak with one voice.” Fourteen members of the UN Security Council have also called for an immediate ceasefire.

Humanitarian groups echoed concerns over escalating risks. Doctors Without Borders warned of potential “ethnic cleansing” in the occupied West Bank, while the Palestinian NGOs Network described the conflict as entering its “most dangerous phase.”

The United States announced sanctions on three Palestinian human rights organizations, including Al-Haq and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, accusing them of aiding International Criminal Court investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes.

In Gaza, the scale of destruction continues to mount. On Thursday alone, 75 Palestinians were killed across the Strip, including 44 in Gaza City. Israeli Brigadier General Effie Defrin stated that operations will “continue to expand and intensify in the coming days.”

With nearly one million civilians still trapped in Gaza City, the lack of safe refuge underscores the scale of the humanitarian crisis. UNICEF and aid agencies have warned that displaced families face hunger, disease, and further bombardment with no viable escape route.