By Nadine Osman
London, (The Muslim News): Nearly 2 years into Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza, the humanitarian toll has reached staggering proportions. Since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, at least 58,667 Palestinians — most of them women and children — have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In the past 24 hours alone, 94 more bodies were recovered, and 367 people were injured, raising the total number of wounded to 139,974.
“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the ministry said, highlighting the intensifying difficulty of emergency response efforts under continued bombardment.
Civilians continue to be disproportionately affected, especially those seeking food and aid. On Wednesday, 26 Palestinians were killed and over 32 were wounded while waiting in line for humanitarian relief. Since May 27, 877 people have been killed and 5,666 have been injured in similar incidents at aid distribution points.
Israeli attacks continued across the enclave on Thursday. In northern Jabalia, combined artillery and airstrikes killed six civilians. In Gaza City’s Zeitoun district, two separate Israeli strikes targeted a residential apartment and the Catholic Holy Family Church, killing a total of six civilians. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed the church was hit, killing two elderly worshippers and injuring nine others, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, who was treated for a leg injury at al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. The Israeli military said it is “reviewing the circumstances” of the church attack.
In central Gaza, a drone strike on displaced families in the Bureij refugee camp killed five Palestinians, including women and children. Meanwhile, in northern Gaza City, another eight civilians were killed in an airstrike while waiting for aid. Israeli forces also opened fire on civilians in the northwest of the city, leaving dozens injured.
In the occupied West Bank, the violence shows no signs of abating. In the Tubas district, Israeli special forces raided Wadi Far’a, shooting and detaining 47-year-old Firas Ahmad Raja Soboh, who later succumbed to his injuries. According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Israeli forces are withholding his body.
As the war continues, forced displacement across Gaza has escalated dramatically. Since a surge in Israeli attacks on March 18, over 737,000 people — about 35% of Gaza’s population—have been newly displaced. UN spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reported that “between the 8th and 15th of July, more than 11,500 people were newly displaced,” adding that “nearly everyone has been displaced, typically multiple times.”
In a significant legal development, judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on July 16 rejected Israel’s appeal to rescind arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The court also denied Israel’s request to suspend the broader investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories. The judges stated that jurisdictional objections remain unresolved and that the warrants would remain valid pending further review.
The arrest warrants, issued on November 21, 2024, accuse Netanyahu and Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of starvation as a weapon during the military campaign in Gaza. Israel has repeatedly challenged the ICC’s authority, but the court reaffirmed its position that legal proceedings must continue as scheduled.
Simultaneously, Israel is defending itself against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The growing international legal scrutiny, combined with ICC-related sanctions—including measures imposed by the United States — has placed diplomatic and political pressure on Israel and its allies.
As the war nears its second year, Gaza remains under siege — its infrastructure decimated, its population displaced, and its humanitarian needs unmet. Despite mounting global outcry and legal challenges, the bombardment continues, and a ceasefire remains out of reach.
[Photo: Smoke and debris rise near Abu Hilo School in the Bureij Refugee Camp after an Israeli airstrike targeting Abu Hilo School, run by UNRWA, in the Bureij Refugee Camp in central Gaza on July 17, 2025. Displaced Palestinians had been sheltering in the school. Photojournalist: Moiz Salhi/AA]
