Gaza Eid al-Fitr bloodshed: 9 killed in Israeli strikes
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine Palestinians and injured several others across the Gaza Strip, as residents marked the first day of Eid al-Fitr under continued bombardment and worsening humanitarian conditions.
According to local media, four people sheltering in tents were killed in Khan Younis, while a separate strike on a house in Bani Suheila killed a girl and wounded five others.
Israeli drone attacks were also reported in Gaza City's Tuffah neighbourhood, leaving one civilian dead and several wounded. In Jabalia, a residential building was hit, killing two and injuring others.
Local sources confirmed that five of the nine victims were children.
Since resuming operations 11 days ago, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 900 Palestinians. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, the overall toll since the war began on October 7, 2023, has reached 50,277 dead and 114,095 injured.
Despite the violence, Palestinians gathered for Eid prayers amid the rubble. In one video shared online, gunfire could be heard during prayers. In the West Bank, Israeli forces reportedly used tear gas on Palestinians visiting a cemetery in Jenin, causing several suffocation injuries.
#شاهد | إطلاق نار من آليات الاحتلال خلال أداء الفلسطينيين صلاة العيد في عدد من المناطق داخل قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/0CaaPobzTl
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) March 30, 2025
The strikes occurred as Israel's blockade of Gaza entered its fourth consecutive week. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that food supplies could be exhausted within days, with flour stocks—currently supporting bakeries serving 800,000 people—expected to run out by Tuesday.
'The price of wheat flour has risen by 400 percent since March 18,' WFP stated, warning that only canned goods and emergency rations remain for hundreds of thousands.
UN officials expressed alarm over the deepening crisis. Tom Fletcher, head of humanitarian affairs at OCHA, told the UN Security Council that food is spoiling, medicine is expiring, and critical aid remains blocked at Gaza's borders.
He urged all parties to comply with international humanitarian law and facilitate immediate aid access, emphasizing that 'indiscriminate attacks, obstruction of life-saving aid,' and forced displacement are prohibited under international norms.
All entry points into Gaza are closed. At the border, food is rotting. Medicine is expiring. Vital medical equipment is stuck.⁰⁰If the basic principles of humanitarian law still count, the international community must act to uphold them. pic.twitter.com/mQkyexZYvi
— Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) March 28, 2025
Since early March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a halt on aid entry until Hamas agreed to extend the first stage of the January ceasefire deal. Hamas has refused, instead demanding progress toward the second phase, which would involve Israeli troop withdrawal and an end to the war.
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