On September 21 and 22, 2025, the Gaza Strip was once again rocked by a series of deadly Israeli airstrikes and artillery attacks, plunging the besieged enclave into deeper turmoil. According to multiple reports from Gaza’s Health Ministry, as cited by Al Jazeera and News.Az, at least 61 to 75 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured in the past 24 hours alone, underscoring the unrelenting violence that has come to define daily life for Gaza’s residents.
The latest escalation saw Israeli military operations intensify across residential neighborhoods, displacement camps, and even near medical facilities. Medical sources throughout Gaza reported that hospitals had registered at least 20 fatalities since dawn on September 21. The Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed 75 deaths and 304 injuries in the preceding 24 hours, with four bodies recovered from rubble, as reported by Quds News Network and other local outlets. These numbers, while staggering, represent only the latest chapter in a conflict that has left the enclave battered and its population traumatized.
Sunday, September 21, proved particularly deadly. More than 68 people were killed that day, with 55 of those deaths occurring in a series of targeted attacks across various districts of Gaza City. According to medical teams on the ground, Israeli forces deployed so-called fire belts in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood and used explosive-laden vehicles in the Nafaq area and Sheikh Radwan, both north of the city. Early Monday morning, the ad-Deeri family home on al-Moghrabi Street in the Sabra neighborhood was struck by airstrikes, killing several civilians. Eight more Palestinians lost their lives and about 20 were injured when Israeli aircraft bombed a group of civilians in the as-Sidra area of the ad-Daraj neighborhood, central Gaza City. Additional strikes hit homes in Shuja’iyya and al-Tuffah in the east, compounding the devastation.
Emergency responders faced harrowing scenes as they attempted to rescue survivors from under collapsed buildings and sand. Two young men were killed by Israeli drone fire in Tel al-Hawa, while another Palestinian was killed while collecting firewood in al-Mughraqa, south of Gaza City. Further airstrikes on Sabra led to more casualties and severely damaged Al-Quds Hospital, hampering already strained medical efforts. In the southwest, two Palestinians were killed and others wounded when Israeli warplanes struck a tent sheltering displaced families in al-Sawarha, near al-Nuseirat.
The violence spared neither the young nor the vulnerable. On the evening of September 21, eight civilians, including four children, were killed near a UNRWA clinic in the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Hospitals reported that thirteen children died that day: ten fetuses whose mothers miscarried due to severe malnutrition, lack of medical supplements, the fear caused by ongoing airstrikes, and the grueling displacement from Gaza City to the south. Three premature infants in neonatal care also died, their lives cut short by the relentless conditions in Gaza’s hospitals.
The toll extended beyond the immediate victims of violence. Five starvation-related deaths, including one child, were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths from famine and malnutrition to 447 since the start of the conflict, with 147 of those being children. Al Jazeera and News.Az both reported that, as of September 22, 2025, the cumulative death toll since October 7, 2023, had reached more than 65,283 (with some sources, such as Gaza’s Health Ministry, putting the number at 65,344) and at least 166,575 injured, the majority of whom are children, women, and the elderly.
Central Gaza was not spared. Ten people were killed there in the past 24 hours, including victims of airstrikes on the Zawaida area, where a vehicle was targeted, killing one and injuring others, according to al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. In the south, seven Palestinians were killed within the same timeframe, including three near a U.S. aid distribution center and three others who succumbed to injuries from earlier attacks.
These relentless attacks have led to scenes of horror and heartbreak. Videos circulated on social media showed Palestinians desperately searching for loved ones buried under sand and rubble after airstrikes flattened their tents. The physical destruction was matched by the psychological toll, as families mourned children lost to both bombs and starvation.
Since the Israeli military violated the ceasefire deal on March 18, 2025, the violence has only escalated. In the period between March 18 and September 21, Israeli forces killed 12,724 people and wounded 54,534, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Among those killed were 2,523 civilians seeking humanitarian aid, and over 18,473 injured while attempting to secure basic necessities.
Internationally, the ongoing bloodshed has drawn renewed diplomatic attention. On September 22, France and Saudi Arabia were set to convene dozens of world leaders in an effort to rally support for a two-state solution. According to reports, several leaders were expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state—a move that could provoke sharp responses from Israel and the United States. The prospect of new international recognition for Palestinian statehood comes against the backdrop of mounting casualties and a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Displaced Palestinians, many of them fleeing northern Gaza after Israeli forces ordered evacuations, have crowded into increasingly precarious shelters in the central and southern parts of the strip. The journey south, often on foot and under threat of renewed attacks, has become a symbol of the broader suffering endured by Gaza’s population.
As the world’s attention shifts to diplomatic summits and the possibility of new political initiatives, the situation on the ground remains grim. Hospitals, already overwhelmed by the scale of injuries and deaths, face shortages of medical supplies, fuel, and even food. The cumulative effect of the violence, displacement, and deprivation has left many in Gaza feeling abandoned by the international community and desperate for relief.
In the midst of this devastation, the stories of individual loss and resilience continue to emerge. The deaths of children—whether from bombs, starvation, or the collapse of healthcare infrastructure—have become tragically commonplace, yet each represents a profound human tragedy. The images of families sifting through rubble, searching for loved ones, and burying their dead have become a daily reality for Gaza’s residents.
The events of September 21 and 22, 2025, are a stark reminder of the human cost of the ongoing conflict. With the death toll rising and no immediate end in sight, the people of Gaza remain caught in a cycle of violence and deprivation that shows little sign of abating. As diplomatic efforts gather pace abroad, the need for urgent humanitarian intervention and a lasting political solution has never been more apparent.