40 Palestinians killed as Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues for 11th day

Israel launched massive air campaign against Gaza following Hamas attack

At least 40 Palestinians were killed early on Tuesday as Israeli warplanes continued to bombard the Gaza Strip for an 11th consecutive day, according to eyewitnesses and medical sources. An airstrike targeted a house in Rafah in southern Gaza, leaving 25 dead, including children, and dozens injured, medical sources said. Eyewitnesses said Israeli fighter jets struck a house in Deir al-Balah, a city in central Gaza. Seven people were reportedly killed in the attack, including children, while 12 others were injured. Eight Palestinians were killed in another airstrike in the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, said medical sources. Several people were injured in fresh Israeli raids in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip, the sources said. Israeli planes also struck a house in the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, state news agency Wafa reported. There have been no reports of casualties so far. The Nuseirat refugee camp northeast of Deir al-Balah also came under fierce Israeli bombardment, according to an Anadolu reporter. Israel has launched a massive air campaign on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian Hamas group, displacing over 1 million people  almost half the enclave’s total population, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out as civilians flee to its southern region following an Israeli warning to evacuate its northern areas. The fighting began when Hamas on Oct. 7 initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence against Palestinians. The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip. At least 2,848 Palestinians, including 750 children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.