Israeli military strikes kill at least 30 Palestinians on Friday

GAZA: At least 30 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes across Gaza since dawn, including seven individuals reportedly seeking aid, according to medical sources on Friday.

Two of the victims were killed in the al-Shakoush area northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza, hospital officials confirmed.

The United Nations has once again called for an immediate ceasefire, warning that children in Gaza are running out of time amid the ongoing conflict. “In Gaza, time is running out for children caught up in the horrors of war,” the UN stated in a message on X. “How much longer until a ceasefire is reached so that bombs stop falling on emaciated and dying children?”

Israeli forces have been accused of using drone-fired missiles packed with nails, causing horrific injuries to the victims. Al Jazeera’s Gaza City correspondent, Hani Mahmoud, reported that these missiles cause severe burns and injuries from flying shrapnel, as doctors struggle to save the lives of the children who sustained such injuries.

“These drone missiles are packed with nails, and when they explode, pieces of metal fly at a very high speed — piercing bodies and causing internal injuries that lead to severe bleeding,” Mahmoud explained.

He added that despite Israel’s claims of using sophisticated weapons, the ground reality, with high casualty numbers and the type of targets being hit, contradicts these statements.

Meanwhile, a mental health crisis is emerging among Israeli soldiers returning from the Gaza conflict, with a rising number of suicides reported. Israeli combat veteran Tzachi Atedagi raised alarms, noting that 10 soldiers had taken their own lives in less than two weeks.

“We are crying out. Enough is enough,” he told Israeli public broadcaster Kan, highlighting the overwhelming bureaucratic barriers preventing soldiers from accessing timely mental health care.

The suicides since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, represent the highest rate in over a decade. However, official figures are expected only at the end of the year. The Times of Israel also reported a recent suicide attempt involving a soldier during training in southern Israel.

In a related development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that a military shell struck Gaza’s Holy Family Church, the only Catholic place of worship in the area. Netanyahu called the incident a “stray” round, expressing regret over civilian casualties. The shelling of the church, which had been serving as a shelter for displaced families, sparked international condemnation, including from the US and the French Catholic charity l’Oeuvre d’Orient. Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch condemned the attack as “totally unacceptable,” stressing that the church had been a place of refuge for civilians during the conflict.

Netanyahu’s comments followed mounting pressure from the international community, with the US calling for an immediate investigation into the attack. Despite the regret expressed by Netanyahu, the shelling of a religious site during the ongoing conflict has raised significant concerns over the safety of civilian infrastructure and holy sites in Gaza.