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Israeli forces launched a wave of airstrikes and artillery attacks across the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, killing at least 29 Palestinians and wounding dozens more on the first day of Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s holiest festivals, according to medical sources and eyewitness accounts.
Many Palestinians performed Eid prayers amid the ruins of their homes, as Israel’s ongoing military campaign continues to devastate the besieged enclave.
In Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on a house killed three Palestinians. In the southern city of Khan Younis, Israeli jets and artillery targeted several neighborhoods. Witnesses reported plumes of smoke rising as shelling and air raids intensified across the city.
Medical sources said a child was shot dead by Israeli forces near the Al-Saraya detention area in Khan Younis, while another person died from injuries sustained in an earlier strike. Four others were killed when an Israeli drone hit a mobile phone charging station between tents housing displaced families west of the city. Two more were killed in an attack on the Al-Mawasi area.
In Rafah, at least eight Palestinians were killed and 61 injured near an aid distribution center—locations that have been repeatedly targeted since their establishment in late May. According to Gaza’s government media office, 110 Palestinians have been killed and 583 injured near such centers since May 27.
Rescue crews recovered one body from rubble after a strike on the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis. Israeli troops also reportedly demolished several buildings in northern Khan Younis.
In the north, 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombings of residential homes in Jabalia, with casualties transported to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. Heavy shelling was also reported in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City and fresh airstrikes hit Jabalia.
On the eve of Eid, local reports said at least 41 Palestinians—including children, women, and journalists—were killed in Israeli attacks across the Strip.
This marks the fourth consecutive Eid al-Adha observed under conflict in Gaza, where a relentless Israeli campaign has persisted since Oct. 7, 2023. Authorities in the territory say nearly 54,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed. Aid agencies continue to warn of famine threatening the enclave’s more than 2 million residents.
Israel has rejected mounting international calls for a cease-fire and faces growing legal scrutiny. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Separately, the International Court of Justice is reviewing a genocide case against Israel over its actions in the territory.
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