The Israeli occupation forces launched a wave of intensified airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Sunday, targeting multiple areas—particularly in Gaza City—and injuring several Palestinians, despite recent claims by the occupation of scaling back its military operations following pressure from US President Donald Trump.
The renewed bombardment comes as Hamas issued a statement Saturday night condemning the ongoing assaults, saying, “The Israeli occupation army’s continued massacres and war crimes against our people in Gaza expose the falsehood of Netanyahu’s government’s claims of reducing attacks on unarmed civilians.”
Hamas also renewed its call on the international community—particularly Arab and Islamic nations—to fulfill their legal and humanitarian responsibilities, urging immediate action to protect the Palestinian people, deliver urgent aid, and apply pressure through all available means to stop what it described as a “genocidal war and starvation campaign” that has gripped Gaza for nearly two years.
Aid Seekers Targeted
In one of the deadliest developments, Nasser Medical Complex reported that four Palestinians waiting for aid were martyred by Israeli fire near a distribution center in northern Rafah.
Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat received two martyrs and seven injured over the past 24 hours, following Israeli strikes on central refugee camps and a southern Gaza aid distribution point near Wadi Gaza.
Breaking: Dr. Abdelhamid Qaradaya succumbed to his injuries today after being wounded in the head last Thursday by an Israeli airstrike near him and his colleagues while waiting for a bus in Deir al-Balah to go to work at Médecins Sans Frontières, where he was employed. pic.twitter.com/fLKO9OfOeG
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) October 5, 2025
Local sources also reported Israeli drone strikes targeting displaced persons’ tents near Asdaa City, north of Khan Younis, injuring several.
In another significant escalation, Israeli forces completely destroyed Al-Azhar University in Gaza City, according to Palestinian sources.
Airstrikes Across Gaza City
Several Palestinians were wounded after an Israeli airstrike hit residential buildings near the Al-Tayaran intersection on Al-Thalathini Street in the Al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City.
Israeli enemy warplanes also bombed areas in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood and Al-Jala’a Street, while artillery fire targeted Tel al-Hawa in the southwest. Israeli ground forces also opened fire in the al-Nafaq area of Gaza City.
Artillery shelling was also reported north of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
Massacres Continue Despite Ceasefire Claims
The Sunday escalation follows a bloody Saturday, when Israeli attacks claimed the lives of 61 Palestinians, including 45 in Gaza City alone, just hours after the Israeli government claimed it would reduce its military campaign in response to US calls for a ceasefire.
Luckily, this baby survived an Israeli airstrike which targeted a house in Gaza City last night. pic.twitter.com/vdvrxx5zSG
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 5, 2025
Following President Trump’s Friday night call to “immediately halt the bombing,” Israeli army radio reported that the political leadership had ordered a halt to plans for a full-scale ground takeover of Gaza City, shifting instead to what it called “purely defensive operations”—a claim belied by continued mass casualties.
A Devastating Toll
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation—backed by the United States—has waged a campaign of genocide in the Gaza Strip, killing 67,074 Palestinians and wounding 169,430, the majority of them women and children, according to official Palestinian data.
In addition, famine induced by the blockade and attacks has killed 459 people, including 154 children.
Source: Al-Manar Website
