On the ground in Gaza, Israel’s relentless atrocities have continued

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As the Israeli occupation continues to disregard all calls for a ceasefire announced by Trump, and the positive response given to the proposal by Hamas, Palestinians continue to be targeted in Gaza.

The bombardments have sharply intensified, and the systematic killing continues, with 93 air and artillery strikes in 24 hours yesterday, 4 October, as of 9pm – targeting areas densely populated with civilians and displaced persons across the Strip. More than 70 civilians were massacred, 47 of whom were in Gaza City alone.

Israel continues massacring

An Israeli occupation airstrike decimated an entire residential block on Yafa Street, in the Al- Tuffah neighbourhood, East of Gaza City. At least 17 people were killed, including seven children between the ages of two and eight, while 40 others were injured in the attack and taken to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.

Gaza Civil Defense Spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, described the situation as catastrophic, and he urged the world to act immediately to stop the ongoing extermination of Gaza City.

Others still remain beneath the rubble in Al- Tuffah, where this baby girl was discovered by Civil Defense and paramedics, lying motionless, with a faint heartbeat. She was rushed towards hospital but died before arriving.

Basal’s three storey home, which was sheltering more than 20 of his family members was also targeted and completely destroyed, by Israeli occupation forces yesterday.

Gaza’s Civil Defense team targeted by Zionists

On 1 October, the Civil Defense team was hit by a double-tap strike from the Israeli occupation forces, while rescuing the wounded, and retrieving the bodies of 29 Palestinian civilians, who had been sheltering inside Al- Falah school in the Al-Zaytoun area of Gaza City when it was bombed.

The Israeli occupation intentionally targeted the Civil Defense team, waiting for them to attempt to rescue the victims before striking the same location again. This marks the 27th reported Israeli occupation attack on Palestinian Civil Defense teams in the field since 7 October 2023.

Noah Al- Shaghnobi one of the Civil Defense members wrote:

Each time I thought I had already lived through the hardest moments of this ongoing massacre over the past two years, but this attack was different, it made me feel as if it was the end. We were all targeted, without exception. I was running heavily burdened by my wounds, hearing the cries of my colleagues, each one calling my name, I saw blood surrounding them and fear in their eyes, but what was harsher than all of this was the feeling of helplessness to whom should I run first? And which of them should I lift before the other?

Civil defense personnel are guaranteed protection under international humanitarian law. However, international law does not seem to apply to the Israeli regime, which acts with total impunity and absence of accountability, due to inaction by the international community-which has a legal duty to end the genocide.

Between 7 October 2023 and 6 September 2025, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, 139 civil defense personnel were martyred, and this figure continues to rise.

Featured image via the Canary