01/04/2025
ALERT: ON EID'L FITR, ISRAEL INTENSIFIES BRUTAL AIRSTRIKES AGAINST GAZA, KILLING PALESTINIANS
Palestinians in Gaza commemorate Eid al-Fitr in grief and despair, as families mourn the deaths of their children amidst Israeli airstrikes and worsening food shortages. Israeli airstrikes hit residential homes, refugee camps, and civilian areas across Gaza on the first and second days of Eid al-Fitr, killing at least 22 people on Monday, and 64 deaths the day before. The majority of the victims were civilians, including children, many of whom were still in their holiday clothes when the attacks occurred. The airstrikes targeted families in Khan Younis, Jabalia, and Gaza City.
One of the deadliest attacks crushed a home in Khan Younis, killing nine members of the Abu al-Eish family, including three children, their parents, and grandmother. In Jabalia, two children, aged 12 and 16, were killed in an artillery strike. Eyewitnesses reported heartbreaking scenes of small bodies being pulled from the rubble—some still holding their Eid gifts. A civilian vehicle in Gaza City was also bombed, killing three people and wounding several others, mostly women and children. With rescue efforts obstructed, the actual death toll is feared to be much higher.
In the past 48 hours, at least 80 Palestinians have been killed and 305 others were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) also confirmed that 15 emergency workers were recovered dead after their vehicles came under fire near Rafah in southern Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israel’s military offensive has killed over 50,357 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Thousands remain buried under the debris as Gaza’s hospitals collapse under relentless bombardment and extreme shortages of supplies.
Ateneo 4 Palestine Davao condemns this massacre in the strongest possible terms. This is no mere conflict—it is genocide. The deliberate slaughter of children, especially during a sacred holiday, is a crime against humanity that cannot be overlooked. We cannot, and we will not remain silent as our brothers and sisters are murdered. As Ateneans, we must stand in unyielding solidarity with Gaza. The Zionist occupation and genocide must end and we will not rest while the barbaric U.S.- Israeli war machine continues to profit off the massacre of innocent lives!