At least 26 people lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Wednesday, according to Gaza’s civil defense authorities and local media. Israel reported that two projectiles were fired from Gaza into its territory.
A strike on a house in Jabalia, northern Gaza, killed 15 people, mostly children, and injured 20 others. The house was reportedly sheltering displaced families. In central Gaza’s Bureij camp, two people were killed by Israeli airstrikes, while a drone strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, claimed three lives and injured others, according to the Wafa news agency.
Civil defense teams also recovered six bodies, including children and women, from rubble in Al Shujaiya in eastern Gaza City. Residential areas in Beit Lahia and the Jabalia refugee camp also came under fire.
The Israeli military stated that two projectiles were launched from Gaza early Wednesday. One was intercepted, and the other landed in an open area. Alarm sirens went off in the Negev desert region, marking the start of the new year. In recent days, Israel claims to have intercepted several rockets fired from northern Gaza.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that over 45,500 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s air and ground offensive. Women and children represent more than half of these fatalities. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Approximately 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with many presumed dead.
The conflict has displaced around 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, forcing hundreds of thousands to live in tents during harsh winter conditions. Four infants have reportedly died due to hypothermia.
Israel asserts that its operations target militants, blaming Hamas for civilian casualties by embedding fighters in residential areas. It claims to have killed 17,000 militants but has not provided evidence. The United Nations Human Rights Office criticized Israeli attacks on Gaza hospitals, stating they have crippled the healthcare system and raised questions about compliance with international law.
Efforts by US and Arab mediators to negotiate a ceasefire have failed, as Hamas demands a lasting truce, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on pursuing “total victory.”
In Yemen, Houthi rebels claimed to have downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in Marib province on Wednesday, calling it a response to “hostile missions.” The drone was reportedly hit with a surface-to-air missile.
