SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Gaza civil defence says 20 killed in Israeli air strikes
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories, July 9 (AFP) Jul 09, 2025
Gaza's civil defence agency on Wednesday said that 20 people, including at least six children, were killed in two Israeli air strikes overnight in the Palestinian territory.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the first hit a tent housing displaced people in Khan Yunis in the south shortly after midnight local time (2100 GMT Tuesday) and the second struck a camp in the north soon afterwards.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the report when contacted by AFP.

The bombings came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump in Washington and discussed the ongoing campaign to defeat Hamas in Gaza.

Afterwards, he restated Israel's aims to secure the release of all hostages taken during the Palestinian militants' October 7, 2023 attack, and "the elimination" of its "military and governing capabilities".

Gaza's civil defence agency said 29 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, with victims also including people displaced by 21 months of conflict.

Bassal said the first strike on Wednesday killed 10 members of the same family sheltering in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis while the second, on the Al-Shati camp near Gaza City, also left more than 30 wounded.

The victims were from two families, he added.

"The explosion was massive, like an earthquake," said Zuhair Judeh, 40, who saw the Al-Shati air strike.

"It destroyed the house and several nearby homes. The bodies and remains of the martyrs were scattered," he added, calling it "a horrific massacre".

Several people remained missing, presumed trapped under the rubble, he said.

Abeer al-Sharbasi, 36, described the air strike as "terrifying" and said it happened as she and her family were asleep in a nearby tent.

"You can't predict when or why they'll bomb you. We have nothing left but to surrender ourselves to God."

Due to restrictions imposed on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties accessing the area, AFP is unable to independently verify the death tolls and details shared by the parties involved.

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Of 251 hostages seized during attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,575 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Maven stays silent after routine pass behind Mars
ICE-CSIC leads a pioneering study on the feasibility of asteroid mining
NASA JPL Unveils Rover Operations Center for Moon, Mars Missions

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Thorium plated steel points to smaller nuclear clocks
Solar ghost particles seen flipping carbon atoms in underground detector
Overview Energy debuts airborne power beaming milestone for space based solar power

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Autonomous DARPA project to expand satellite surveillance network by BAE Systems
IAEA calls for repair work on Chernobyl sarcophagus
Momentus joins US Space Force SHIELD contract vehicle

24/7 News Coverage
UAlbany Atmospheric Scientist Proposes Innovative Method to Reduce Aviation's Climate Impact
Digital twin successfully launched and deployed into space
Robots that spare warehouse workers the heavy lifting



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.