Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip claimed the lives of at least 29 Palestinians on Friday, according to medics, as renewed rocket fire from militants in Gaza triggered sirens in southern Israel.
Hamas-led militant factions in Gaza launched a series of rockets, showing that they retain the capability to fire into Israel despite a year-long Israeli aerial and ground offensive that has left large swathes of the enclave in ruins.
Israeli military officials confirmed that sirens rang out in southern Israel for the first time in nearly two months. “Almost a year after Oct. 7, Hamas is still threatening our civilians with their terrorism, and we will continue operating against them,” the military said, referencing the anniversary of Hamas’ cross-border attack that ignited the Gaza war.
In Gaza City, Palestinian health officials reported that one Israeli airstrike on a house killed at least seven people. Another strike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed four people, including two women and a baby. Other victims were killed in airstrikes on various parts of the densely populated coastal enclave.
Residents stated that Israeli forces destroyed clusters of homes in Gaza City’s Zeitoun suburb and in Rafah, near the southern border with Egypt. The Israeli military maintains that Hamas fighters use crowded residential neighborhoods as cover, while Hamas denies this claim.
Israeli media reported that one rocket was intercepted by air defense, and another landed in an open area. No casualties or significant damage were reported from the rocket fire.
Palestinians in Gaza are approaching the first anniversary of the war with little hope for a resolution, as Israeli ground operations in Lebanon continue against Hezbollah, Hamas’ ally backed by Iran. Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel nearly a year ago, in support of Hamas, following the deadly October 7, 2023, assault in which over 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 were taken hostage.
The ongoing conflict has displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents and claimed the lives of more than 41,800 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
Efforts led by the United States to broker a ceasefire have so far failed. Hamas insists on an agreement to end the war, while Israel maintains that the conflict can only conclude with the eradication of Hamas.
