GAZA CITY – September 2, 2025 — At least 105 Palestinians, including children, journalists, and 32 aid seekers, were killed on Tuesday as Israeli forces escalated their assault on Gaza City, the most populous urban center in the besieged territory.
The heaviest casualties were reported in the al-Sabra neighborhood, which has faced continuous bombardment in recent days. The al-Mawasi area—previously designated by Israel as a so-called “safe zone”—also came under attack, killing 21 civilians, including seven children, who were reportedly queuing for water.
Images shared by Palestinian Civil Defence showed blood-stained water containers and the bodies of children at the scene. “They were standing in line to fill up water … when the occupation forces directly targeted them, turning their search for life into a new massacre,” said Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal.
Starvation Deaths Rising
In addition to airstrikes, Gaza’s population faces a worsening humanitarian catastrophe due to a complete blockade on food and aid. According to health officials in Deir el-Balah, at least 13 people died of starvation in the past 24 hours alone, bringing the total hunger-related death toll since the war began to 361.
Global hunger monitors declared a famine in parts of Gaza on August 22, and 83 starvation deaths have been recorded since then.
Targeted Strikes on Families, Aid Seekers
In one of Tuesday’s deadliest incidents, an Israeli drone strike hit civilians queuing for humanitarian assistance, while another air raid in Gaza City destroyed the al-Af family home, killing 10 people, most of them women and children, according to local health authorities.
Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary, reporting from central Gaza, described the situation as “a cage,” where “wherever Palestinians go, the air strikes follow them.”
“Decisive Stage” of the War
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the military is entering a “decisive stage” of the conflict as it moves to seize control of Gaza City, despite mounting international condemnation and warnings from human rights organizations.
Observers say the ongoing strikes and humanitarian blockade may amount to war crimes, with genocide scholars and global watchdogs urging international intervention.
