Israeli strikes kill at least 25 family members in Gaza City homes

At least 25 members of the same family were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed a cluster of homes in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood yesterday (21 September), amid intensifying attacks across the besieged territory.

The strikes hit as Israeli tanks pushed further into Sabra, part of a broader plan to seize control of the area. Rescue efforts were underway, with at least 17 people pulled from the rubble. Family members feared as many as 50 others remained trapped, with survivors saying they could still hear voices beneath the debris.

"We keep hearing their screams from under the rubble, but we cannot reach them," one family member pleaded. "I appeal to the whole world: Please lend us a helping hand. Our relatives are buried alive."

Rescue workers said their efforts were being hampered by Israeli drones firing at those digging through the rubble. "For every five men making an attempt, four are killed and only one survives," a relative said.

Video circulating online showed casualties being carried away in small vehicles, including a grieving mother who cried that she had lost "all of my children" in the attack.

Israeli forces also carried out air raids on the Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City and the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood to the southwest, as well as targeting Laval Tower in the Nasr district and a nearby house.

Separately, seven Palestinians, including four children, were killed in a strike on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, near a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) clinic, according to emergency sources.

Medical sources cited by the Wafa news agency said at least 68 people had been killed across Gaza since dawn on Sunday. The Gaza Health Ministry reported Saturday that overall casualties since October 2023 had reached 65,283 dead and 166,575 wounded. It also confirmed four more deaths from Israeli-induced starvation, raising that toll to 440, including 147 children.

Israel continues demolishing buildings and forcing residents to flee as it presses its ground assault. The military said three divisions are advancing in Gaza City and northern Gaza, while another is operating in Khan Younis. It claimed its forces killed "many terrorists" in the past 24 hours.

Gaza authorities estimate nearly 900,000 people remain in Gaza City, though Israel says more than 450,000 have already been displaced since early September.

As the humanitarian crisis deepens, Pope Leo condemned the forced displacement of civilians, stressing, "There is no future based on violence, forced exile, and revenge."

Meanwhile, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal announced formal recognition of Palestinian statehood just days ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly. Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin welcomed the move, calling Israel's actions "a systematic assault on the very fabric of humanity, designed to erase the Palestinian people's existence, culture and future."