Gaza, Apr 22 (UNI) At least 25 Palestinians were killed in a wave of Israeli attacks targeting several areas across the Gaza Strip overnight, the territory's Civil Defence said on Tuesday.

Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal described it as "a particularly difficult night" for Gaza residents, citing a combination of air raids, artillery shelling, and gunfire from military helicopters.

Nine people were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential building in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Two others were killed in a drone strike on Salah al-Din Street, northeast of Rafah, located in the far south of the enclave.

In northern Gaza, nine were killed in two separate airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp. An additional five, including children, died when the Bakr family home was hit in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.

Eyewitnesses reported continued Israeli bombardment across residential areas in Rafah, Khan Younis, and eastern Gaza. Strikes also targeted civil defence equipment, including machinery used in body recovery operations.

The Jabalia municipality said that approximately 10 pieces of equipment, vehicles, and water tankers provided by international donors were destroyed during the attacks.

It condemned the targeting of the vehicles, saying the destruction aimed to hinder humanitarian efforts and constituted a violation of international laws and conventions.

The Israeli military has not yet commented on the incidents.

According to Gaza-based health authorities on Tuesday, a total of 1,890 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, bringing the total number of fatalities since the conflict began in October 2023 to 51,266, with 116,991 others wounded.

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