CITIZENS NEWS

Israeli airstrikes kill hundreds in Gaza as UN condemns Israel’s "dangerous" aid blockade

By isabelle // 2025-05-05

• Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed at least 110 Palestinians, including infants, while rescue teams struggle to recover bodies under rubble amid relentless bombings.
• Gaza’s humanitarian crisis nears total collapse as Israel maintains its blockade, leading to starvation deaths, including a baby who died from malnutrition and dehydration.
• Recent strikes targeted civilians, killing multiple infants in Khan Younis and al-Mawasi, with rescue efforts hampered by ongoing bombardments.
• Israel’s controversial aid distribution plan has been condemned as inhumane, forcing civilians into militarized zones for food while bypassing humanitarian organizations.
• Netanyahu’s government, backed by the U.S., is escalating military operations and pushing forced displacement, with Gaza’s death toll surpassing 52,535 since October 2023.

The Israeli military has killed at least 110 Palestinians in Gaza during the past week, including infants and toddlers, as the U.S.-backed blockade pushes the enclave into famine. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that 400 more people were wounded, while rescue teams struggle to recover bodies buried under rubble from relentless airstrikes. Among the dead are a one-month-old baby, a one-year-old girl, and a one-year-old boy—casualties of an Israeli bombing in Khan Younis. Meanwhile, the UN warns that Gaza’s humanitarian response is on the "verge of total collapse," yet Israel refuses to lift its siege, leaving thousands to starve.

Airstrikes are targeting civilians, including babies

Over the weekend, Israeli forces bombed a home in Khan Younis, killing eight people, including three infants. Another strike on a tent camp in al-Mawasi claimed at least ten lives, while an attack on the Khan Younis refugee camp killed 11, among them three babies under a year old. Rescue workers say they cannot reach many victims trapped under debris due to ongoing bombardments. The blockade, which has been in place for more than two months, has led to catastrophic hunger. A baby girl, Janan Saleh al-Sakafi, died of malnutrition and dehydration at Rantisi Hospital; she is just one of at least 57 Palestinians, mostly children, who have starved to death. The UN’s World Food Program and Palestinian relief agencies have thousands of trucks ready to deliver aid, but Israel continues to block them.

Israel’s "rations" plan condemned as inhumane

Despite global outrage, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to expand its assault on Gaza while proposing a controversial aid distribution scheme that would bypass humanitarian organizations. The UN and aid groups rejected the proposal, calling it a "dangerous" tactic to force civilians into militarized zones to collect food. "The current scheme just won’t work unless there are a lot more distribution hubs, and even then, we cannot be a party to something that may drive massive and possibly permanent displacement within Gaza," a senior humanitarian official told The Guardian. Israel’s blockade has left hospitals overwhelmed, with medical supplies depleted and wounded patients left untreated. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, at least 2,436 Palestinians have been killed and 6,450 wounded. The total death toll since October 7, 2023, has reached 52,535, with 118,491 wounded, and these numbers exclude the thousands who are still missing under rubble.

Netanyahu’s expansion of genocide

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emboldened by U.S. support, has vowed to escalate military operations, calling up tens of thousands of reservists for a broader invasion. His government has also pushed for the forced displacement of Palestinians, a move condemned as ethnic cleansing. The U.S. remains complicit, supplying weapons and diplomatic cover as Israel flouts international law, even as famine looms. Israel’s siege is not just a military strategy; it is looking more and more like a deliberate campaign of starvation and collective punishment. With children dying of malnutrition and hospitals bombed into dysfunction, Gaza has become a graveyard. Yet Western leaders, including the U.S., continue to enable this genocide, prioritizing geopolitical interests over human lives. How many more children must die before the international community acts? Sources for this article include: News.Antiwar.com TheGuardian.com AlJazeera.com

Israel violence genocide twisted chaos humanitarian WWIII humanitarian aid humanitarian crisis Gaza