Gaza, April 18, 2025: At least 37 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, many of them in tented encampments set up for displaced civilians, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.
The deadliest strike occurred on Wednesday night in the al-Mawasi area, near Khan Younis, where Israel had previously directed civilians to seek refuge. Witnesses described scenes of horror, with tents engulfed in flames after what they called a “powerful” explosion.
“I woke to screaming and panic,” said one survivor. “The flames spread from one tent to another. We tried to help, but we were helpless.”
According to Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal, two missiles hit the tents, killing at least 16 people — “most of them women and children.” Another 23 were wounded, he added.
Verified video footage showed scorched ground, burned tents, and survivors combing through the rubble for belongings and loved ones.
In a statement on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had targeted a Hamas terrorist in the area and that the incident was under review. “The IDF is aware of the claim that several uninvolved civilians were harmed,” the statement added, saying steps had been taken to minimize civilian casualties.
The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) condemned the attack. Executive Director Catherine Russell said, “Images of children burning while sheltering in makeshift tents should shake us all to our core.”
A representative from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said their medical teams received victims after the strike. “Most were already dead. The few survivors are in critical condition,” said emergency coordinator Amande Bazerolle.
The IDF denied knowledge of a strike in Beit Lahia but said it had hit over 100 targets in recent days, including “terrorist cells and military infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts stalled as Hamas rejected Israel’s latest ceasefire offer, which proposed a 45-day truce in exchange for the release of 10 hostages. Hamas said it is open to a comprehensive agreement involving the release of all 59 hostages it holds, but not a “partial deal” that benefits Israeli Prime Minister **Benjamin Netanyahu’s political goals.”
In response, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared it was time to “open the gates of hell on Hamas.”
The war resumed on March 18 after a brief truce and the imposition of a total blockade on Gaza. Since then, 1,691 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The total death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 51,000 since October 2023.
Aid organizations have warned of imminent humanitarian collapse. In a joint statement on Thursday, 12 major NGOs, including Oxfam and Save the Children, said Gaza faces one of the worst humanitarian crises of this generation.
Israel maintains the blockade, asserting it is necessary to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages. It claims aid is flowing into Gaza, citing 25,000 truckloads of supplies delivered during the ceasefire — a claim contradicted by aid agencies on the ground.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a deadly cross-border attack into Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
