Israeli Airstrikes Kill Dozens Across Gaza, Including Pregnant Woman and Child
Overnight strikes in Gaza kill dozens, including a pregnant woman and her son, as Israeli bombardment resumes after a brief ceasefire
In a devastating escalation of violence, Israeli airstrikes have killed over 400 Palestinians, including many women and children, across the Gaza Strip. This bombardment, launched early on Tuesday morning, shattered a fragile ceasefire and marks a significant intensification of the conflict that has already left Gaza in ruins.
Among the victims was 20-year-old Afnan al-Ghanam, who was seven months pregnant. Al-Ghanam, who had given birth to her first child during the war 13 months ago, was residing in a squalid tent camp in southern Gaza's Khan Younis district. Al-Ghanam, along with her young son, Mohammed, were killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck their family’s tent just before dawn on Tuesday.
The airstrike came as the family had hoped to rebuild their lives after a brief period of relative calm brought by a tenuous ceasefire that had begun in mid-January. The family, displaced from their home in Rafah during the conflict, had been living in a refugee camp, seeking safety from the bombings that had devastated their community. Tragically, al-Ghanam and her son did not survive the strike. Her husband, Alaa Abu Helal, described the loss at the morgue in Khan Younis, holding his deceased son’s body and recalling the painful irony that his child had been born during the war and now was also killed by it.
“They have gone and left me alone,” said Abu Helal, visibly shaken by the grief. “The unborn child is dead, too. All of them are dead.”
The airstrike was part of a broader Israeli campaign targeting what it claims are Hamas positions. Israel states that it does not intentionally target civilians, attributing Palestinian casualties to Hamas’s practice of operating within civilian populations. However, the strikes have taken a heavy toll on the civilian population, which remains trapped between escalating Israeli bombardments and the ongoing siege in Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in the recent escalation, with many of the victims being women and children. Israel maintains that the strikes are aimed at neutralizing Hamas and compelling the militant group to release hostages and relinquish control of Gaza.
Along with al-Ghanam and her son, many others in southern Gaza, including families in Khan Younis and Rafah, were killed in the overnight bombardment. The strikes have further strained an already dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where basic services, including medical care and shelter, have been critically affected by ongoing violence and blockades.
As the violence continues, Palestinian families like Abu Helal’s are left to mourn their loved ones, caught in a cycle of destruction and displacement that shows little sign of easing.
