The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) escalation of their widescale military aggression against the Gaza Strip, targeting civilians, committing mass killings, and erasing entire families. All these acts are clear evidence of Israel’s insistence on continuing its crime of genocide against the Palestinians.
This escalation comes while the repercussions of the suffocating siege and systematic starvation policy exacerbate, alongside the depletion of many medicines and medical consumables due to the IOF’s ongoing closure of crossings and blocking aid and goods from entering the Gaza Strip since the beginning of this month. This prolonged prevention – the longest of its kind- has led to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe threatening the lives of 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and trapping them between two horrific choices- to die from bombardment or hunger and lack of medical treatment.
According to PCHR’s field documentation, the airstrikes mainly targeted houses and tents across the Gaza Strip, destroying them on top of their residents and displaced families and committing mass killings by burying them under the rubble. Moreover, the IOF intensified their policy of destroying evacuated houses up to 2 kms from the Gaza Strip’s eastern borders, in addition to targeting vehicles and gatherings. The IOF also issued new evacuation orders, particularly in Gaza City and northern Gaza, further exacerbating the displacement crisis that nearly two million people in Gaza are enduring.
Since the resumption of Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip on 18 March 2025, 896 Palestinians have been killed and 1,984 others have been injured as of midnight on 28 March 2025, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH). This brings the death toll since 07 October 2023 to over 50,251, while the number of injured has risen to 114,025. Meanwhile, thousands remain trapped under the rubble as the lack of necessary equipment prevents civil defense crews from retrieving them.
The most significant crimes documented by our field researchers in the last hours were as follows:
At approximately 00:20 on Friday, 28 March 2025, the IOF’s warplanes targeted ‘Awad family house in al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City. As a result, 14 Palestinians were killed; 8 of them were retrieved from under the rubble, including 4 woman and 2 children, while 6 remain trapped. Additionally, 30 people, including 12 children and 8 women, were injured.
At around 02:00 on Thursday, 27 March 2025, the IOF’s warplanes launched an airstrike on al-Ghirbawi family house in Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip. As a result, 9 Palestinians, including 4 children and 3 women, were killed, while others were injured. Among those killed were parents and four of their children. They were identified as: Ashraf Nafiz ‘Ali al-Ghirbawi (45), his wife Amani Ahmed Mahmoud al-Ghirbawi (41), their children Malak (21), Mohammed (19 ), Mos’ab (16 ), and Mo’ath (6), and his brother Shadi (42), along with Ghada al-Sayed Deeb al-Ghirbawai (55 ), and Ahmed ‘Ali Ahmed al-Ghirbawi (17).
At approximately 02:20 on Wednesday, 26 March 2025, an Israeli drone targeted a group of people near al-Najjar family council, west of Rafah’s parking lot in southern Khan Yunis. As a result, Entisar Mostafa ‘Issa al-Laham (75) and Mohammed Khaled Khadir Saqer (26) were killed, while a third person was injured.
Ten minutes later, an Israeli helicopter targeted a residential apartment belonging to Hussain family on the 4th floor of a residential building in Block 4 in al-Buriej refugee camp, central Gaza Strip. As a result, Ameer ‘Abed al-Shafi Khamis Hussain (36), his child Waleed (4) were killed, while others were injured. It is worth noting that the victims were the last surviving members of their family, who had been killed in pervious airstrikes.
At around 15:30, the IOF’s warplanes targeted a tent for displaced people in al-Nusirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, killing 5 Palestinians, including a woman and her young daughter, who happened to be passing by at the time.
At around 16:00, an Israeli drones targeted a group of people gathered in front of al-Salhi family house in the vicinity of al-Qassam Mosque, 15 meters to the south of al-Nusirat Charitable Field Kitchen in al-Nusirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip. As a result, four were killed, including a worker in the field kitchen, while 15 others were injured.
In his testimony to PCHR’s researcher, one of the injured said:
“While I was working at the al-Nusirat Charitable Kitchen preparing food to distribute to the displaced people’s camps and those in need, I suddenly heard a loud explosion just a few meters away from me. Dust and smoke filled the air, and I felt severe pain in my left leg, thinking that my leg had been amputated. I ran but then lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself at al-‘Awda Hospital nearby. Later, I learned that 4 people had been killed in the attack, one of whom was Jalal Harb, who worked with us at the kitchen.”
At around 17:00 on the same day, an Israeli drone fired a missile at a tent in al-Zawaida in central Gaza Strip. As a result, Mai Mohammed Yousef al-Sha’ir (42) and Roaa Mo’taz Tayseer al-Sha’ir (17) were killed.
At approximately 22:00 on the same day, the IOF’s warplanes targeted a residential square in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip. As a result, 7 Palestinians, including an infant and an elderly woman, were killed. Medical teams managed to retrieve them from under the rubble, while other residents, mostly children, remain trapped under the rubble- their fate unknown. Additionally, many others sustained various injuries.
At around 01:00 on Tuesday, 25 March 2025, the IOF’s warplanes targeted Abu al-Rous family house in Block 7 in al-Buriej refugee camp. As a result, 6 residents of the house, including 3 children and 3 women, were killed, and identified as: Shukran ‘Abed al-‘Aziz Abu al-Rous (62), her daughter-in-law Alaa’ Mohammed Musleh Abu al-Rous (34), and their two children Faten (5) and Mahmoud (16) Wajdi Mahmoud Abu al-Rous, Ayat Mahmoud Kamal Mansour (16), and Futna Mahmoud Mohammed Mansour (40). Additionally, others sustained various injuries. Two days later, medical sources declared the death of Wajdi Mahmoud Mohammed Abu al-Rous (38), succumbing to his injuries, joining his mother and two children.
At approximately 01:34 on Monday, 24 March 2025, the IOF’s warplanes targeted Abu Khatir family house in Ma’an area, southeast of Khan Yunis, killing three of its residents. The killed were identified as: Manar Salem Abu Khatir (57), Director of the Education Directorate in Eastern Khan Yunis, and his two sons Anas (23) and Amjad (22). Also, a fourth person sustained serious injuries.
On the same day, the IOF’s warplanes bombed two houses belonging to Abu ‘Akar and al-Saifi families in al-Shuja’iyia neighborhood, east of Gaza City. As a result, 14 members from both families were killed, including 4 children and 3 women.
According to PCHR’s researchers, during the past few days, the IOF’s warplanes bombed and destroyed dozens of vehicles parked in various areas across the Gaza Strip, while continuing to bomb evacuated houses up to 2 km deep from the Gaza Strip’s eastern borders, particularly in eastern Khan Yunis. The IOF systematically destroys the remaining houses in this area, where most of the houses and buildings had been destroyed over the past months.
Moreover, the IOF have continued their ground assault in Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah since 23 March 2025. The fate of 14 members of the ambulance and civil defense teams remains unknown, while the body of one of them, a civil defense member, was found on Thursday. Coordination had been made for Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) crews, accompanied by a team from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to reach the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood after five days of losing contact with several paramedics, including 9 from the PRCS.
PCHR warns that Israel’s return to conducting ground invasions, imposing its control over Palestinian cities and neighborhoods, committing extensive mass killings, and intensifying its policy of starvation and deprivation of medical treatment raises grave concern about inflicting thousands of casualties, either from direct bombardment or the devastating repercussions of the ongoing siege. This will further deteriorate the already catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip that has been continuously deteriorating since 07 October 2023.
PCHR calls on the international community to take decisive and urgent measures to stop the ongoing genocide and hold the Israeli leaders accountable for their atrocious crimes. PCHR also urges the State Parties to the Genocide Convention to fulfil their legal obligations and take urgent action to protect Palestinian civilians from the genocide and mass killings.
