The civil defense authorities in Gaza reported that at least 33 Palestinians lost their lives during airstrikes carried out by the Israeli air force and gunfire from soldiers on Wednesday. Among the deceased was the director of a hospital in northern Gaza, as well as individuals waiting for humanitarian assistance.
Mawhound Bassil, a spokesperson for the organization, informed AFP that they had accounted for “33 martyrs, including several children and women, and dozens of injuries from the attacks by the occupiers and gunfire since dawn.”
He detailed that “seven martyrs were among them, including Dr. Marwan Sultan, the director of the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza, along with multiple injuries” following an Israeli airstrike that targeted an apartment in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City.
The airstrike resulted in the deaths of Dr. Sultan’s wife, three of their children, and his son-in-law, Mohammad Sultan. A relative mentioned that the doctor, originally from Beit Lahiya, had been displaced several weeks prior and was staying in that apartment.
Ahmad Sultan, aged 20, recounted, “I heard the explosion and rushed to the apartment to find Martyr Marwan, his wife, daughters, and son-in-law all killed… some of the bodies were torn apart… it is up to God.” He added that the apartment sustained significant damage, affecting several nearby units as well.
The Ministry of Health condemned the “horrific crime against Dr. Marwan Sultan and our medical staff” in a statement.
Bassil mentioned that civil defense paramedics transferred “four martyrs from an aerial attack in the afternoon that targeted a tent for displaced persons on Industry Street” near the UNRWA office in the Tal al-Hawa area.
An airstrike also hit the Zaitoun School, which shelters displaced individuals in the Zaitoun neighborhood, leading to two fatalities and a number of injuries.
Another airstrike targeted the Zaino family home in the Tafah neighborhood, resulting in “the martyrdom of four citizens: Ahmad Eid Zaino, his wife Ayat Mando, and their two children, Zahra and Obaidah.”
In the central sector, Bassil reported in the morning that “five martyrs, including two children and a woman, were killed, and several others were injured due to a strike by an Israeli drone targeting a house near Al-Bukhari Mosque in the Al-Barakah area south of Deir al-Balah.”
Additionally, five individuals were killed in a strike that targeted “the tent of the Abu Ta’ima family” in the Al-Barakah camp in Khan Younis in the south.
In areas surrounding aid centers in central and southern Gaza, six Palestinians were killed by Israeli army gunfire.
Bassil reported that “five martyrs and several wounded were moved from the Al-Shakoush area in Rafah,” where thousands of citizens gathered for food.
A young man was killed, and 11 others were injured by Israeli gunfire near an aid center close to the Wadi Gaza Bridge in the central sector.