Israeli forces pounded the Gaza Strip with fresh airstrikes early Friday, killing at least 37 Palestinians – including 15 civilians waiting for food aid – as cease-fire talks edged forward in the war’s 21st month.
Among the dead were families sheltering in tents near Khan Younis and Rafah, according to local sources.
Witnesses said one strike in Al-Mawasi obliterated a cluster of makeshift shelters near the Tayba Towers, killing several members of the same family.
Another 15 people died when Israeli jets targeted displacement camps west of Khan Younis, Gaza’s civil defense agency said.
At least three children were among the dead.
More than a dozen others were injured.
The Israeli military declined to confirm specific strikes, citing the need for “precise coordinates,” but said operations continued against Hamas strongholds.
Israel says it is dismantling Hamas infrastructure in Gaza.
But in cities flattened by relentless airpower, those fleeing war are running out of places to hide.
The overnight strikes followed a brutal Thursday in which more than 100 people were killed, including 51 reportedly shot while queuing for humanitarian aid.
The United Nations says such incidents have become disturbingly routine: As of June 27, at least 613 people had been killed at or near aid convoys.
“In Gaza, starvation is increasing. People are fainting in the streets from hunger,” the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned Friday.
The agency accused Israel of using food as a weapon of war, echoing claims by Amnesty International and other rights groups.
“The current aid distribution system has humiliated and dehumanized hungry, scared, injured and exhausted families,” UNRWA said in a statement. “No one should have to choose between risking death and feeding their children.”
UNRWA reiterated its ability to deliver food “safely and at scale” if granted access, as seen during a brief truce last November. “We have the systems, the expertise, and the will,” it added. “What we need is access. Lift the siege. Let us do our job.”
Since October 2023, more than 57,130 Palestinians – most of them women and children – have been killed in Israel’s campaign, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The United Nations considers the death toll credible.
In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A separate genocide case is ongoing at the International Court of Justice.
Israel’s offensive was launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, incursion on southern Israel that killed 1,219 people and resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages.
At least 49 hostages remain in Gaza.
Facing growing pressure at home over the fate of the hostages, Netanyahu vowed Friday to bring every one of them home.
“I feel a deep commitment to ensure the return of all our abductees,” he said during a visit to the Nir Oz kibbutz – one of the hardest-hit communities during the Hamas attack.
Meanwhile, Hamas announced it is consulting with other Palestinian factions over a fresh truce proposal, a sign that negotiations may be resuming after weeks of bloodshed.
A Palestinian source familiar with the talks said that the latest U.S.-backed plan calls for a 60-day cease-fire.
Under the proposal, Hamas would release about half of the surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for an undisclosed number of Palestinian detainees.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said this week that “any chance to free the hostages must not be missed.”
The push comes ahead of Netanyahu’s visit to Washington on Monday, where President Donald Trump, now actively involved in seeking an end to the war, said he wants “safety for the people of Gaza.”
“They’ve gone through hell,” Trump said Thursday.