Gaza Herald – The Israeli occupation has intensified its genocide in the Gaza Strip, carrying out new airstrikes on Rafah while detonating and demolishing residential homes in eastern Gaza, in a continued and deliberate violation of the fragile ceasefire. The escalation unfolds as Gaza reels from compounded destruction caused by ongoing Israeli attacks and recent severe weather.
Israeli occupation shelled eastern Gaza City amid loud explosions, as occupation forces detonated a booby-trapped armored vehicle inside a residential area in al-Shuja’iyya, triggering widespread fear. Multiple homes were deliberately blown up in eastern neighborhoods, with explosions heard across the city as part of systematic destruction.
In the south, Israeli warplanes bombed Rafah, accompanied by intense aerial surveillance, while additional airstrikes struck eastern and southern Khan Younis, expanding the scope of attacks across the Strip. The assaults come as civilians remain exposed, displaced, and without shelter or protection.
The escalation follows the Israeli occupation’s announcement of the assassination of senior Al-Qassam Brigades commander Raed Saad, killed in a strike on a civilian vehicle in western Gaza. Israeli sources confirmed the operation was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war minister without notifying Washington. Hamas condemned the attack as a criminal act aimed at sabotaging the ceasefire, holding the occupation fully responsible for its consequences, including continued killings, siege, and obstruction of humanitarian aid.
As bombardment continues, Gaza faces a compounded humanitarian catastrophe. Buildings weakened by earlier attacks collapsed during recent storms, killing at least 11 Palestinians, with others still missing. Since the ceasefire, 386 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,018 injured, while the total toll of the genocide since October 7, 2023 has risen to over 70,654 killed and 171,095 wounded. Health officials also report that more than 1,090 patients died while waiting for medical evacuation, underscoring the collapse of Gaza’s health system under the ongoing genocide imposed by the Israeli occupation.
