Five children among family of 10 killed in Israeli strike in Khan Younis
Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight into Thursday killed at least 23 people, including a family of 10, local health officials said. The United Nations meanwhile raised alarm over the mounting impact of Israel's seven-week-old blockade preventing all food and other supplies from entering the territory.
Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas last month and renewed its bombardment, killing hundreds of people and seizing large parts of the territory to pressure the militants to accept changes to the agreement.
A strike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed five children, four women and a man from the same family, all of whom suffered severe burns, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Strikes in northern Gaza killed 13 people, including nine children, according to the Indonesian Hospital.
The Israeli military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because it operates in residential areas. There was no immediate comment on the latest strikes.
The UN humanitarian office, known as OCHA, said that almost all of Gaza's more than two million people now rely for food on the only one million prepared meals produced daily by charity kitchens supported by aid groups.
Other food distribution programs have shut down for lack of supplies, and the UN and other aid groups have been sending their remaining stocks to the charity kitchens.
The only other way to get food in Gaza is from markets. But most cannot afford to buy there because of soaring prices and widespread shortages, meaning humanitarian aid is the primary food source for 80 per cent of the population, the World Food Program said in its monthly report for April on Gaza's markets.
"The Gaza Strip is now likely facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the 18 months since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023," OCHA said.
Water growing scarce amid food shortage
Most people in Gaza are now down to one meal a day, said Shaina Low, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Refugee Council. "It's far lower than what is needed," she said.
Water is also growing scarce, with Palestinians standing in long lines to fill jerry cans from trucks. Omar Shatat, an official with a local water utility, said people are down to six or seven litres per day, well below the amount the UN estimates is needed to meet basic needs.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that preventing humanitarian aid is one of the "central pressure tactics" used against Hamas, which Israel accuses of siphoning off aid to maintain its rule.
Israel is demanding that Hamas release more hostages at the start of any new ceasefire and ultimately agree to disarm and leave the territory. Katz said that even afterward, Israel will continue to occupy large "security zones" inside Gaza.
Hamas is currently holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. It says it will only return them in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting truce, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire agreement reached earlier this year.
Hani Almadhoun, co-founder of Gaza Soup Kitchen, said his kitchen has food for about three more weeks.
"But food is loosely defined. We have pasta and rice but nothing much beyond that. No fresh produce. There is no chicken or beef. The only thing we have is canned meat," he said. He said 15 to 20 per cent of the people who come to his kitchen for food leave empty-handed.
WATCH | Sisters flee north Gaza hospital after Israel orders evacuation before strike:
'We were scared,' sisters say after being ordered to evacuate northern Gaza hospital overnight
2 days ago
Duration 2:11
Hind, an amputee, and her sister Heba Al-Hourani were among hundreds of wounded patients forced to evacuate Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital overnight on Sunday after Israel warned it would strike the building. Israel alleged it held a Hamas command and control centre, without providing evidence. Hamas denies the allegation.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel's offensive has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities. The war has displaced around 90 per cent of the population, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.
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CBC
16 hours ago
- CBC
At least 25 Palestinians killed in Israeli gunfire near aid site, local medics say
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21 hours ago
These Gazan families came to Quebec for safety. Now, they face life without health coverage
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Not all the people have money, they cannot cover for the health because the people came from Gaza, said Aya, Zaqout's 15-year-old sister. Everything is destroyed, they don't have nothing. They lost everything. As Zaqout and his sister spoke, their mother served dates and coffee. The family gathered close and gently helped one another tell their story in Arabic, French, and English, attentive to every detail. Zaqout expressed gratitude toward the Canadian and Quebec governments and said he was happy and feels safe here, but wishes he and his family could have access to care. I can't live without a medical card, he said. 'I need health care after the war' Zaqout and his family arrived in Canada as temporary residents through the temporary residency program for Gazans (new window) . Their visas are valid for three years and they initially received three months of health coverage through the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) — after which the federal government says it's up to the provincial government to take over. But Quebec has faced criticism for failing to do so. More than 70 civil society and health-care groups in the province published an open letter in La Presse (new window) last month calling out the province for not providing health-care coverage to Gazans. Quebec remains the only province refusing to insure their health care, the letter stated. According to federal data, 823 Gazans have made it to Canada between October 2023 and May 2025. These families are among the Palestinians affected after Israel's army killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health authorities, and displaced 90 per cent of the enclave's population. That same month, a United Nations report (new window) concluded that Israel is deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians as a group, one of the categories of genocidal acts in the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention. Everything got destroyed, my house, my everything, my business, my jobs, said Zaqout, showing a video of his former home in Gaza — a house with elegant architecture and a palm tree that once stood tall beside it. Enlarge image (new window) Jehan Elsayyed, left, a Gazan living in Sherbrooke, Que., with her husband and her daughter, broke her arm after she slipped on ice. Her health coverage expired shortly after and now, she continues to struggle with her recovery. (Submitted by Jehan Elsayyed) Photo: (Submitted by Jehan Elsayyed) Jehan Elsayyed, another Gazan who has been living in Sherbrooke, Que., since December, is all too familiar with Zaqout's loss. She tears up over videoconference as she recalls witnessing an old man forced to strip by an Israeli soldier and her time living in Gaza with 180 people in a single house without water, food or electricity. When she finally made it to Quebec, she slipped on ice and broke her arm. Her health coverage expired shortly after and now, she continues to suffer. I need health care after the war, she said. I don't want my health situation to be worse. Elsayyed is learning French and said she is trying to integrate into society, grateful for the help she's received from Quebecers. But she finds it very frustrating to live without health insurance. I hope that I can have the right to live as a respected person … and to be equal like other immigrants in Quebec, she said. 'We're making them even more vulnerable,' says doctor In the open letter, the 75 organizations pointed out a double standard after Quebec extended Ukrainians' health-care coverage (new window) — initially set to expire in March last year — until March 2028. The same protection has so far been denied to Palestinian families, including children, fleeing a situation described by many experts as genocide, read the letter. Sophie Zhang, a member of Quebec Doctors Against Genocide, was among the physicians who signed it. Our governments do play a role in what's happening to these Gazan families and the reason why they're here in the first place, said Zhang. So I do think we need to take this responsibility and at least give them basic rights like health care. Khadijé Jizi, a Montreal-based genetic counselor and member of the Health Worker Alliance for Palestine, highlighted that Gazan patients suffer from chronic conditions, gynecological and fertility issues and PTSD. These are all things that didn't disappear when they left Gaza. They're still there and they need medical attention, said Jizi. She also warned that without public coverage, Palestinian children won't be supported for potential developmental issues or language delays. These are vulnerable families, so them leaving a country during a genocide and coming to a whole new country … has its set of challenges, said Jizi. When we add not having access to health care, we're making them even more vulnerable. Conflicting explanations from Quebec and Ottawa In response to CBC's request, Quebec's immigration and health ministries issued a joint statement, declaring that provincial health coverage eligibility depends on documents issued by federal immigration authorities related to Gazans' status. The statement noted that the visa granted under the federal government's temporary public policy for Gazans does not include any specific designation, unlike the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel. Instead, the province said it is a general document allowing a foreign national to stay in Canada for a limited period, regardless of origin. The provincial ministries said they've asked the federal government to extend coverage under the temporary public policy to avoid a lapse and allow [Gazans] to regularize their status to qualify for the plan, but they say they have yet to receive a response. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, meanwhile, said public health-care coverage is primarily a provincial/territorial responsibility and that provinces and territories were also encouraged to consider extending access to health. Comparisons between Gaza and other crises, such as in Ukraine, oversimplify complex realities that must be considered, including provincial capacity to support newcomers, the ease of movement out of conflict zones, and the targets set by the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, the federal ministry wrote in a statement responding to CBC's follow-up questions. Dr. Sophie Zhang is a Montreal-based physician and member of Quebec Doctors Against Genocide. (Submitted by Sophie Zhang) Photo: (Submitted by Sophie Zhang) Zhang described the sentence as shocking and questioned why Ottawa would cite immigration targets in this context. She said she interpreted both governments' statements as attempts to deflect responsibility for an issue that is very easily solvable. Haya Alsakka, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement in Montreal, described the lack of extended health coverage for Gazans as a policy of racism and discrimination, targeting Palestinian and Arab communities. She noted Quebec very quickly provided health coverage to Ukrainians. How are we supposed to believe that it really is an administrative issue that is barring Quebec from giving these families health-care access? asked Alsakka. Zaqout still has loved ones trapped in Gaza, including one of his sisters, along with her husband and child who remain in a tent. He explained that they were living in a different part of the enclave. When they tried to escape, the road was bombarded by the Israeli military. He also added that they didn't receive visas from the federal government. His family cries every day, longing for news and a chance to reunite. As he watches videos of himself treating Palestinian children inside tents in Gaza, he shares his experience as a nurse. Now, in Montreal, he hopes to put that same care to work for Quebecers. I want to succeed in my life. I want to provide all my experience, all my everything to these people here, said Zaqout. I hope to complete my family here and I hope to have a medical card. Hénia Ould-Hammou (new window) · CBC News
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza health officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll from the 20-month Israel-Hamas war has climbed past 55,000, the Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday. The ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the dead.
