BY AFP:
GAZA: At least 66 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency, including eight children who were reportedly standing in line for nutritional aid outside a health clinic in **Deir el-Balah**.
Among the victims was a one-year-old boy, whose mother, critically injured in the attack, said he had spoken his first words just hours before the tragedy, the **UN children’s agency (UNICEF)** confirmed.
“No parent should ever have to endure such heartbreak,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell in a statement. “The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable,” she added.
The clinic where the victims had gathered is operated by the US-based charity Project Hope, which provides treatment for malnutrition, infections, and illnesses. The organization reported 15 fatalities, including 10 children and two women, describing the incident as a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.
Project Hope’s president and CEO Rabih Torbay condemned the strike, emphasizing the devastating impact on civilians seeking urgent medical help.
One survivor, 30-year-old Yousef Al-Aydi, described the horror of the moment. “We heard the sound of a drone approaching, and then the explosion,” he told AFP by phone. “The ground shook beneath our feet, and everything turned into blood and deafening screams.”