I stared at the incoming alert on my phone, the grim familiarity of another deadly day in Gaza washing over me. The death toll numbers had become a macabre ritual in my reporting routine—today at least 60 more Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to local health officials.
The scene in Jabalia refugee camp yesterday was particularly devastating. Walking through the remnants of what was once a neighborhood, I watched emergency workers pull bodies from beneath concrete slabs that had, until recently, been homes. A paramedic I’ve known from previous reporting trips, Hassan, looked utterly defeated.
“We pulled seven children from the same family,” he told me, his voice barely audible above the sound of bulldozers clearing debris. “The youngest was just four months old.”
This latest surge in violence comes amid mounting international pressure on Israel’s military campaign, now in its ninth month. The United Nations humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths called the situation “beyond catastrophic” during yesterday’s emergency session, noting that Gaza’s health system has “effectively collapsed” with only 11 of 36 hospitals partially functional.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the death toll has now surpassed 37,000 Palestinians, with women and children constituting nearly 70% of the casualties. These figures cannot be independently verified, but UN agencies have repeatedly affirmed their general accuracy.
Israeli military officials maintain they are targeting Hamas fighters and infrastructure. In a statement released this morning, the IDF claimed the Jabalia strike hit a command center where senior Hamas operatives were planning attacks. They’ve provided no evidence to support this claim, and Hamas has denied the presence of any military installation in the area.
I spoke with Congressman Seth Moulton yesterday, who recently joined a growing chorus of American legislators expressing concern about Israel’s conduct. “We support Israel’s right to defend itself, but the way this war is being waged raises serious questions about proportionality and adherence to international humanitarian law,” he said.
The political fallout extends beyond America’s shores. Last week, Spain, Ireland, and Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state, ignoring fierce objections from Israel. The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside Hamas leaders, for alleged war crimes.
In the ruins of Jabalia, I met Fatima al-Najjar, a mother of three who lost her husband and youngest son in yesterday’s strike. “We are not Hamas,” she said, tears streaming down her face as she clutched a small backpack belonging to her dead child. “We are just people trying to survive. Where can we go? There is nowhere safe.”
The humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate at an alarming pace. The World Food Programme reports that acute malnutrition rates have doubled since January, with approximately 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents facing severe food insecurity. Water infrastructure has been decimated, forcing many to consume contaminated water, resulting in outbreaks of hepatitis and other waterborne diseases.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, warned yesterday that aid deliveries have become “nearly impossible” amid intense fighting and continued restrictions on humanitarian access. “What we’re witnessing is the systematic destruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure,” he told me during a brief call from his Amman office.
During a recent press conference in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell didn’t mince words: “The scale of destruction, the number of civilian casualties, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza are without precedent in recent history.”
Israeli officials have pushed back against criticism. Foreign Minister Israel Katz insisted yesterday that Israel is “doing everything possible to minimize civilian casualties while facing an enemy that deliberately embeds itself within the civilian population.” Yet this assertion stands in stark contrast to the experiences of aid workers and journalists on the ground.
Dr. Sarah Abu-Salameh, one of the few remaining physicians at Al-Aqsa Hospital, described treating children with severe burns and traumatic amputations. “We have no anesthesia, no antibiotics, sometimes not even clean bandages,” she said, her voice breaking. “How can the world watch this and do nothing?”
The geopolitical implications of the conflict continue to reverberate across the Middle East. Yesterday’s Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea—the third this week—underscores the war’s regional dimensions. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have increased attacks against U.S. forces, while Hezbollah and Israel exchange daily fire across the Lebanon border.
President Biden’s administration faces growing pressure both domestically and internationally. A recent CNN poll found that 55% of Americans disapprove of his handling of the conflict, while protests on college campuses continue despite the academic year ending.
As night falls in Gaza City, the sound of drones buzzes overhead, a constant reminder for residents that danger lurks above. For many Palestinians I’ve spoken with, the international community’s words of condemnation ring hollow without meaningful action to stop the bloodshed.
“They talk about international law while we die,” said Mohammed Abed, a former university professor now living in a tent after his home was destroyed. “What use are these laws if they cannot protect us?”
The question hangs in the air, unanswered, as another night of bombardment begins.
