Israeli air strikes kill 40 People in Gaza

By Faith Barbara N Ruhinda Updated at 0933 EAT on Thursday 15 May 2025

More than 40 people have been killed in the latest Israeli strikes across the Strip, according to hospital sources.

There are reports that at least 36 bodies were taken to hospitals in the south, which saw intense Israeli bombardment overnight.

With Israel’s blockade continuing, conditions for the family have not improved. International journalists are not allowed free access to Gaza, so my direct communication with people there is limited to phone calls and messages.

Over a series of WhatsApp messages, Ayman says the family’s “reality… goes far beyond the limits of description”.

Believe me, I cannot move well due to the severity of the hunger we are experiencing, but I will prepare a video and send it to you, God willing, he writes.

Communicating via WhatsApp can be difficult, as people in Gaza struggle to find power sources or internet connection.

Since the war began in 2023, Israel has not allowed journalists or other media to enter the territory, outside of rare and escorted trips with its military.

This makes it difficult to verify facts on the ground, so we rely on Palestinian colleagues within Gaza, reports from aid agencies and information from video footage.

Today, some of those contacts and colleagues will be sharing their stories with us.

Israel is intensifying its bombing of Gaza – even as President Donald Trump’s visit to the region and negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage release deal continue.

least 26 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes overnight in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, while new Israeli displacement orders have caused panic in western Gaza City.

Separately, a US-backed humanitarian organisation has said it will start work in Gaza within two weeks as part of a new heavily criticiesd aid distribution plan.

It says it’s asked Israel to let the UN and others resume deliveries until it’s set up.

No supplies have been allowed into Gaza for 10 weeks and there are warnings of mass starvation.

As Israel carries out strikes in southern Gaza, further north it has issued one of the most sweeping evacuation orders for civilians yet seen in this war.

Large swathes of Gaza City, an area already partially destroyed by bombing, have been declared unsafe, the residents taking shelter there told to leave for their own safety ahead of “intense strikes” by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Among the buildings highlighted by Israel are the Islamic University, Al-Shifa Hospital and three former schools.

While Israel alleges that the buildings are being used by Hamas as command and control centres, local authorities and aid agencies say there are thousands of civilians sheltering there.

Evacuating these areas would require time, they say, and there could be huge numbers of casualties.

It’s an ominous sign of Israel’s threat to significantly expand its military campaign in Gaza.

The former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has been one of very few senior Israelis so far to speak out against expanding the military campaign in Gaza

More than 52,000 people have been killed by the Israeli offensive, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and those who have survived do so in extreme conditions.

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