Palestinian families in Gaza City are once again mourning the devastating loss of loved ones as Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults intensify, leaving civilians caught in the crossfire and the world demanding answers for the mounting death toll. The latest tragedy struck overnight on September 27, 2025, when five members of the Bakr family were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Shati refugee camp, a densely populated area where many have sought shelter from nearly two years of war.
According to AFP, the aftermath was marked by scenes of anguish and outrage. Women in black abayas wept openly, clutching the lifeless bodies of their children wrapped in blood-stained white shrouds. "What is happening are massacres, massacres that are condemned internationally," said Umm Khaleel, a survivor of the strike. Another family member, Salwa Subhi Bakr, described the chaos: "We cannot sleep because of the bombing and shelling on Al-Shati... the children were sleeping when suddenly a missile landed on us." Her words echoed the despair of many in Gaza, as she pleaded, "Five people from the Bakr family were killed, the entire family. What does the world want from us? What does (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu want? What does Hamas want?"
The Bakr family, like countless others, has been displaced multiple times since the conflict began. With Israeli forces ordering mass evacuations southward, Salwa Bakr voiced a frustration shared by many: "They tell us go there, then come back here. Where do we get the money for trucks? People are in the streets, in the south scattered everywhere. Where should we go? Find us a solution." The Israeli military has reported that approximately 700,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City since the latest round of evacuations began in late August 2025.
Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, the violence shows no sign of abating. On September 27, Gaza's civil defence agency, operating under Hamas authority, reported that Israeli fire killed at least 23 people across the territory that day. In central Gaza, AFP footage captured the somber aftermath of a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp: bodies in white shrouds lay in a hospital courtyard as grieving women wept and men stood in prayer. Piles of concrete and gaping holes marked the site of destruction, as survivors like Iyad Shokr recounted the terror: "The debris collapsed on our floor. By the will of God some survived while others were martyred," he told AFP.
The Israeli offensive has drawn widespread international condemnation, yet Prime Minister Netanyahu has remained defiant. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2025, he vowed to "finish the job" against Hamas, despite the mounting civilian casualties and calls for restraint. The war in Gaza began after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. In response, Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 65,926 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, as of September 27, 2025, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza—numbers the United Nations deems reliable.
The violence has not only claimed the lives of thousands of civilians but has also targeted those who risk their lives to document the conflict. On August 27, 2025, an Israeli airstrike hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, killing five journalists and 17 others. Among the journalists killed were Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist for The Associated Press and other outlets, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, and freelance journalist Moaz Abu Taha, whose work had been published by Reuters. The hospital, a location protected under international law and widely recognized as crucial for news coverage out of Gaza, became the scene of tragedy.
In the wake of the strike, Reuters and The Associated Press demanded accountability from the Israeli government. On September 25, 2025, their top editors, Alessandra Galloni and Julie Pace, issued a statement urging Israel to "explain the deaths of these journalists and to take every step to protect those who continue to cover this conflict." The statement continued, "We remain devastated and outraged by their deaths." Both agencies emphasized the need for a "prompt and clear explanation, followed by accountability and concrete actions to ensure such attacks are never repeated." Despite sending a joint letter immediately after the attack, Israel has yet to respond, though the military has stated it launched an investigation, claiming it targeted what it believed was a Hamas surveillance camera at the hospital. The strike was described by Prime Minister Netanyahu as a "mishap," but no evidence has been provided to support the military's rationale, raising serious questions about the conduct of the operation, as reported by AP.
The dangers faced by journalists in Gaza are unprecedented. Since the conflict erupted in October 2023, an estimated 239 journalists and media workers have been killed covering the region, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). For comparison, the CPJ reports that 18 journalists have died so far in Russia’s war in Ukraine. The toll in Gaza includes high-profile incidents like the August attack that killed al-Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, as well as camera operators and freelance journalists who were targeted while staying in what should have been safe zones for the press.
The CPJ has called on the international community to "take immediate action to end the unlawful attacks on journalists, grant international media independent access to Gaza to be able to investigate and report what is happening without fear of censorship or assassination, and hold Israel accountable." The urgency of this appeal was underscored at a recent event in New York, where the BBC, together with AP, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, premiered a short film advocating for international journalists’ access to Gaza. Narrated by BBC journalist David Dimbleby, the film highlighted the critical role of independent journalism in conflict zones and the dangers faced by those who report from the front lines.
As the war grinds on, civilians and journalists alike are left searching for safety and answers. The international community continues to grapple with how to respond to the humanitarian crisis and the repeated targeting of those who bear witness to the conflict. With little respite in sight, the voices of survivors, grieving families, and the press grow louder—demanding protection, accountability, and above all, an end to the bloodshed that has defined life in Gaza for far too long.
