Haunting pictures show parents running with kids as Israel launches Gaza assault
Heartbreaking images from inside Gaza show parents clutching their babies and sprinting from the devastation as fire and smoke tear through the streets in the aftermath of brutal Israeli airstrikes
Harrowing images capture the panic and desperation gripping Gaza as families scramble to survive under relentless Israeli bombardment.
On Tuesday, Israel announced it would be seizing control of the territory, with preparations to mobilise 60,000 reserve troops already underway. Images show parents clutching their children and babies, sprinting from the devastation of airstrikes as fire and smoke tear through the streets. In other scenes, terrified locals are seen crouching behind cars in a desperate bid to seek protection from the blasts.
Israel's invasion, dubbed 'Gideon's Chariots II', was approved by Defence Minister Israel Katz and will force hundreds of thousands of civilians away from their homes. Fresh attacks on Thursday saw a camp sheltering displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah struck, causing extensive damage to the makeshift homes where roughly 200 families were staying. Smoke rose over residential buildings in ez-Zeytun and Shuja'iyya after the neighbourhoods were targeted.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed 62,192 Palestinians and injured 157,114 since October 7, 2023, the Palestinian health ministry said. In the last 24 hours, at least 70 Palestinians, including 18 aid seekers, have been killed and 356 have been wounded in Israeli strikes across the city.
Two more people have died "due to famine and malnutrition in the past 24 hours", the health ministry added, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths to 271, including 112 children.
Responding to Israel's plan to occupy Gaza, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "gravely alarmed" by the move. "This decision marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and Israeli captives in Gaza," his office said in a statement, adding further escalation will lead to "additional forced displacement, killings and massive destruction".
1 of 8 Palestinians rush to escape after Israeli warplanes bomb tents where displaced Palestinians live in Deir al Balah.
(Image:Anadolu via Getty Images)2 of 8 Families flee the devastation of airstrikes as fire and smoke tear through the streets.
(Image:Anadolu via Getty Images)3 of 8 A fireball explosion rocks Deir al Balah where roughly 200 displaced families were staying.
(Image:Anadolu via Getty Images)4 of 8 Palestinians rush for cover as smoke billows after an Israeli strike on a building in Jabalia, northern Gaza.
(Image:AFP via Getty Images)
5 of 8 Smoke rises as rescue workers are on duty after Israeli strikes on a camp sheltering displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah.
(Image:Anadolu via Getty Images)6 of 8 A large number of Palestinians gather to hold a demonstration demanding an end to Israeli attacks.
(Image:Anadolu via Getty Images)7 of 8 Palestinians protest the prevention of forced displacement at Al-Rimal neighborhood.
(Image:Anadolu via Getty Images)8 of 8 Palestinians, including children, who are struggling to access food due to Israel's blockade and ongoing attacks.
(Image:Anadolu via Getty Images)