Israel kills nine Palestinians near Khan Younis as blockade enters critical phase

Shafaq News/ At least nine Palestinians, including four children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting tents housing displaced families west of Khan Younis, Arab media reported on Sunday, as the humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to rise.

The strike is the latest in a series of deadly bombardments across the enclave, where more than 61,709 Palestinians have been killed and over 111,588 injured since the war began in October 2023.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor condemned the escalating attacks, warning that Gaza is enduring a “silent death.” In a statement, the group accused Israeli forces of systematically dismantling essential infrastructure through tactics it described as “a policy of annihilation masked as military operations.”

The organization also argued that hunger, medical collapse, and the ongoing blockade are being used deliberately as “weapons of war,” emphasizing that the two-month blockade has decimated Gaza’s basic services, from healthcare to clean water and food distribution, leaving the population—especially the most vulnerable—on the brink.

For nine consecutive weeks, Israel has enforced a complete closure of humanitarian corridors, intensifying military pressure on Hamas over the fate of Israeli hostages still held in the territory. The Israeli security cabinet recently authorized a broader military campaign, intensifying both aerial and ground operations.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported sharp remarks from the leader of the Democratic Party, who accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of endangering US-Israel relations and dragging the country into what he called a “political quagmire.”

“The focus on the Houthis is a distraction from this government’s most catastrophic security failure,” the opposition leader charged. “Netanyahu and [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich are deploying the military in Gaza for messianic delusions and political survival—not for any real operational goal.”

He warned that under the current leadership, Israel risks becoming “diplomatically isolated, socially divided, and economically unstable,” pledging to challenge what he termed a “government of failure” and replace it with leadership rooted in democratic accountability and sound security policy.