Israel kills nine Palestinians in overnight Gaza bombardment

Israeli bombardment killed at least nine Palestinians in pre-dawn attacks in Gaza on Thursday.

The strikes hit at least four residential apartments in western and southern Gaza City while residents were asleep.

Five members of the Lubbad family - a father, mother and their three children - were killed when their apartment was struck. Only one child, Hala Lubbad, survived, suffering minor injuries.

The Palestinian Civil Defence described the scenes at the site as “difficult and horrifying”.

It said a fire broke out inside one of the apartments following the attack, while rescue teams encountered harrowing scenes as they searched for survivors and recovered victims from the rubble.

Local media reported that at least 15 people were wounded in the attacks, which come as Israel intensifies bombing across the Gaza Strip despite a US-mediated ceasefire agreed in October.

Israeli forces killed 119 Palestinians in May, the highest monthly death toll since November, according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

The army has also continued to expand its control on the ground, now holding around 60 percent of Gaza and seeking to increase that figure to 70 percent, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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Meanwhile, Israeli forces have continued to demolish homes and severely restrict the entry of humanitarian aid. 

Aid restrictions have pushed Gaza into a renewed crisis of food insecurity and medical shortages.

Gaza's health ministry warned this week that more than 4,000 cancer patients are at risk due to severe shortages of medicines and essential treatments.

Fuel shortages have also forced hospitals to suspend some services, with dialysis units, neonatal care incubators, intensive care units and medical laboratories at risk of closures. 

Gaza’s Government Media Office says it has documented more than 3,000 Israeli violations of the ceasefire since it came into effect.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 936 people have been killed and more than 2,900 wounded during that period.

Overall, Israeli forces have killed nearly 73,000 Palestinians since the genocide began in October 2023, with a further 170,000 wounded. Thousands more remain missing and are presumed dead beneath the rubble.