Israeli strikes pounded Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood on Wednesday, killing at least 30 Palestinians and leaving dozens more missing under the rubble.
According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the initial strikes targeted a four-story residential building, flattening it and damaging ten nearby homes. At least eight children are among the 30 Palestinians confirmed killed by the bombing.
Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli strikes left nearly 80 people missing and that attacks were continuing across the neighborhood. “The Israeli jets are carrying out more and more deadly attacks across the central and eastern parts of the district, destroying more homes and attacking people trapped inside these residential buildings,” said Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud.
WAFA reported that five Palestinians were killed by another Israeli strike on Shujaiya, following the one that killed at least 30 people.
Mahmoud said rescue workers officially ceased their operations in the area since it was getting too risky for them to work due to the Israeli bombardment. The al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City has also been overwhelmed with casualties following the attacks, as hospitals across Gaza are short on vital supplies due to the total Israeli blockade that’s been imposed since March 2.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Wednesday that at least 60,000 children were “at risk of serious health complications due to malnutrition” due to the Israeli blockade. ” The ministry said the “lack of adequate nutrition and drinking water will compound health challenges, with the continued ban on vaccinations for children, especially polio vaccination.”
Israeli strikes also pounded central and southern Gaza on Wednesday as attacks have been relentless since Israel restarted its genocidal war on March 18, which it did with full support from the US. The Health Ministry said in its daily update that at least 1,482 Palestinians have been killed and 3,688 were injured since the full-scale bombing resumed. Over 500 children are among the dead.
