Daijiworld Media Network – Gaza

Gaza, May 24: At least 76 Palestinians were killed in a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, officials in the Hamas-run health ministry reported on Friday. The strikes come amid intense fighting in northern Gaza, where humanitarian aid remains largely cut off despite weeks of urgent international appeals.

The deadliest assaults were reported in Jabalia and Gaza City, where local sources said residential buildings were hit without warning. “Bodies are still being pulled from the rubble,” a civil defence official told local media.

The UN and relief organizations have warned of a looming famine in northern Gaza, where more than 300,000 residents are stranded with little access to food, water, or medical supplies. A senior UN official said, “We have not been able to deliver meaningful aid in the north for weeks. The situation is catastrophic.”

Israel’s military said it was targeting Hamas infrastructure and accused the militant group of operating within civilian areas. However, the rising civilian death toll has sparked growing concern from humanitarian agencies and several governments.

Ceasefire negotiations, brokered by Egypt and Qatar, remain stalled. Meanwhile, calls for humanitarian corridors into the north have intensified, with the UN demanding safe passage for relief convoys.

Since the conflict reignited last October, over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel’s military operations continue in southern Rafah as well, where hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians have taken shelter.

Despite mounting international pressure, aid trucks have yet to enter the worst-affected zones, leaving northern Gaza on the brink of collapse.