23 August 2025 — Israel has stepped up its military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip, killing at least 71 Palestinians and wounding 251 others, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
Of the latest fatalities, 37 occurred in Gaza City, where Israel is reportedly preparing for larger-scale operations, Anadolu Agency reported.
Footage released by Al Jazeera showed an Israeli quadcopter flying over a school building in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood before dropping an explosive device. The strike killed at least 12 civilians, many of whom had been sheltering in makeshift tents at the school.
A medical source at Al-Ahli Hospital confirmed another death in the city’s Tuffah district.
The Health Ministry also said two more people, including a child, died of starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total number of famine-related deaths to 273 since the blockade began, including 112 children.
Officials warned that many civilians remain trapped under rubble or in the streets, unreachable due to ongoing airstrikes and a lack of rescue equipment.
Since Israel resumed military operations on March 18—breaking a ceasefire and prisoner-exchange deal—the ministry says 10,717 Palestinians have been killed and 45,324 injured.
Israeli forces have also continued striking civilians gathered to receive humanitarian aid. In the past 24 hours alone, 24 people were killed and 133 injured in such attacks. Since May 27, at least 2,060 Palestinians have been killed and 15,197 wounded while attempting to access humanitarian relief, according to the ministry.
Earlier this week, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Gaza’s largest city would be destroyed if Hamas refused to accept Israel’s conditions for ending the war. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Katz wrote:
“The gates of hell will soon open above the heads of Hamas murderers and rapists in Gaza until they accept Israel’s terms for ending the war.”
He reiterated Israel’s demands: the release of all hostages and the complete disarmament of Hamas. Hamas has stated it is prepared to release hostages in exchange for ending the war, but insists it will not disarm without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Since Israel imposed a full blockade in early March, Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have faced catastrophic conditions, including famine, outbreaks of disease, and the near-collapse of essential services.
According to health officials, at least 62,263 people have been killed and 157,365 injured in Gaza since Israel’s campaign began in October 2023—figures described by Palestinian authorities as evidence of genocide. In the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, 1,139 people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage.
