At least 15 Palestinians, including eight children and two women, were killed early Thursday when an Israeli airstrike struck a crowd of civilians waiting outside a clinic in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.
The victims had gathered outside the Altayara health clinic — operated by the U.S.-based humanitarian group Project Hope — to receive nutritional supplements when the blast occurred. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital confirmed the casualties, reporting several others injured. Graphic footage from the hospital showed the bodies of children laid out on bloodstained floors as medical staff fought to save survivors.
“This is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law,” said Rabih Torbay, President and CEO of Project Hope. “Our clinics are meant to be places of refuge. Yet, innocent families were mercilessly attacked this morning as they waited for the clinic to open.”
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos. “The ground shook beneath our feet, and everything turned into blood and deafening screams,” said Yousef al-Aydi, who survived the blast.
Social media videos — later verified by the BBC — showed women and children lying lifeless in the street. At a nearby mortuary, mourning relatives performed funeral rites. One grieving woman, Intisar, said her pregnant niece Manal and Manal’s daughter Fatima were killed. Manal’s son remains in intensive care. “She was queuing to get supplements for the children when it happened,” she said.
Another woman, overcome with grief, asked: “For what sin were they killed?”
The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas militant allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. “The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals,” the military said, adding that the incident is under review.
Project Hope, however, rejected the claim, insisting that no militant activity took place near the clinic. The organization called the strike “unjustifiable” and demanded full accountability.
Elsewhere in Gaza, at least 37 more people were killed in a series of Israeli strikes. In al-Mawasi, five civilians died when a drone strike hit a cluster of tents. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency released footage showing rescue workers pulling young children from sand and debris.
The latest violence comes as ceasefire talks continue in Doha, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. Despite ongoing negotiations, both sides remain at odds. Hamas has offered to release 10 Israeli hostages but insists on a full ceasefire. An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, said an agreement could take up to two weeks and warned that military operations would resume if Hamas refuses to disarm.
Since Israel began its military offensive in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks — which left 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage — Gaza’s health ministry reports that over 57,700 people have been killed.
Gaza’s infrastructure lies in ruins. More than 90% of homes have been damaged or destroyed, hospitals are overwhelmed or non-functional, and acute shortages of food, water, and medicine have brought the region to the edge of famine.
Thursday’s deadly strike on the clinic has reignited global concern over civilian protection and the safety of humanitarian operations in conflict zones.
“No one and no place is safe in Gaza,” said Project Hope’s Torbay. “This cannot continue.”
