At least 15 people, including eight children and two women, were killed in central Gaza when an explosion struck a crowd gathered outside a health clinic distributing nutritional supplements. The victims had been queuing early in the morning, hoping to receive care for malnutrition and other health conditions. Instead, tragedy struck, leaving many injured and others lifeless on the ground.
Footage from the aftermath showed heartbreaking scenes — children lying motionless, families screaming in despair, and medics frantically working to treat the wounded at a nearby hospital. The hospital’s morgue was filled with grief as relatives wept and prepared their loved ones for burial.
A woman, her voice trembling, said her pregnant niece and her niece’s young daughter were among the dead. The surviving child remained in critical condition in intensive care. “They just came for help. They just wanted food and medicine,” she said. Another woman, standing beside her, asked bitterly, “For what sin were they killed?”
Health workers who ran the clinic said the area had always been a safe place — a refuge where people, especially women and children, came for treatment. But that sense of safety was shattered in an instant. “People were just standing in line,” one witness recalled, “and suddenly, we heard a drone… then everything exploded.”
Elsewhere in Gaza, at least 37 more people were reportedly killed in continued airstrikes. Among them were five individuals in tents who died after another drone strike, including three small children who had been buried beneath sand and debris.
The deadly events come as international efforts continue to broker a ceasefire. Talks between the warring sides have dragged on, with little sign of resolution. Some officials suggest an agreement might be reached within weeks, but deep disagreements remain. One side is demanding disarmament, the other a full halt to military operations.
Meanwhile, life for Gaza’s civilians grows more desperate by the day. The conflict, which began after a deadly attack in southern Israel in October 2023, has led to over 57,000 deaths in Gaza, according to local authorities. Homes have been destroyed, medical systems are overwhelmed, and basic resources — food, clean water, medicine — are dangerously scarce. Almost every family has been displaced at least once.
As ceasefire talks stall and violence continues, the suffering of ordinary people — especially children — shows no sign of ending.