Six-year-old twins among dozens killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza city

Gaza: Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City early Monday morning killed at least 25 Palestinians, including six-year-old twin siblings, as the conflict in the besieged enclave enters another deadly phase.

According to Gaza’s Civil Defense, the strikes destroyed 16 high-rise buildings in Gaza City in just 24 hours, displacing over 6,000 Palestinians in a single day. Emergency responders say many people remain trapped under the rubble, with fears that the death toll could rise significantly.

Since Sunday morning, Israeli attacks have killed at least 53 Palestinians, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed since October 2023 to 64,871, with another 164,610 wounded, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Thousands remain unaccounted for and are believed to be buried beneath the debris of collapsed buildings.

The attack is part of an intensifying Israeli military campaign that has devastated Gaza’s urban landscape and left thousands more displaced.

The latest escalation comes ahead of an emergency summit hosted by Qatar in Doha, where leaders of the Arab and Muslim world are meeting to formulate a joint response to what they describe as “a brutal and unrelenting assault on the Palestinian people.” The summit follows an Israeli strike last week that targeted the heart of Gaza’s capital, sparking widespread condemnation.

Israel has defended its actions as part of its ongoing military campaign against Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization. However, human rights organizations and international observers have increasingly raised concerns about the scale of destruction and the mounting civilian death toll.

As Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens, aid agencies warn that the region is on the brink of total collapse, with hospitals overwhelmed, clean water scarce, and food supplies critically low.