Gaza Civil Defence Reports 52 Killed in Israeli Strikes

Palestinians mourn by the body of a relative who was killed in Israeli strikes in Deir al-Balah, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip on 2 October 2025.

Israeli strikes across Gaza on Thursday killed at least 52 people, according to the territory’s civil defence agency and hospitals, including an employee of the French charity Doctors Without Borders.

The civil defence agency said the deaths were caused by “continuous Israeli bombardments since dawn,” with 10 fatalities, including a child, reported in Gaza City.

Hospitals reported receiving 10 bodies in Gaza City, 14 in central Gaza, and 28 in the south. Victims were killed in airstrikes, drone fire, and shootings, according to medical sources.

The Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis said nearly 30 people had died, including 14 shot while waiting for food distribution in the Al-Tina and Morag areas. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah reported nine deaths after nearby strikes.

Among the victims was 26-year-old Omar al-Hayek, a staff member of Doctors Without Borders, who was killed in a strike on civilians in central Deir el-Balah. Four other staff were also injured.

“This is unacceptable. Enough killings—whether targeted or not,” said Karin Huster, head of the medical team in Gaza.

The conflict began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,219 people, mostly civilians. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since killed more than 66,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, figures considered reliable by the United Nations.