Carnage on al-Wahda Street: Israeli Strikes Kill 20 in Gaza Restaurant and Market Amid Escalating Campaign
GAZA CITY, May 7, 2025 Two Israeli airstrikes on a crowded restaurant and nearby market in Gaza City have left at least 20 Palestinians dead, according to medical sources marking another grim chapter in the spiraling humanitarian crisis gripping the war-ravaged enclave.
The Thailandy Restaurant, a once-thriving eatery turned community kitchen in the northern Rimal neighborhood, became a site of horror on Wednesday when an airstrike reduced it to ruins. Eyewitness videos circulating on social media show bodies slumped over tables, while bystanders scream in disbelief.
Just 60 meters away, at a bustling marketplace on al-Wahda Street, a second strike claimed more lives. One widely shared clip shows the lifeless body of a small child wearing a school backpack, lying in a pool of dust and blood.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it is investigating the reports, but has yet to provide clarity or accountability.
Schools Turned Shelters Become Targets
The strikes come amid an intensified Israeli military campaign that has, in the last 24 hours alone, killed at least 59 people, many of whom were seeking refuge in schools now serving as makeshift shelters for displaced families.
At the UN-run Abu Humeisa school in the Bureij refugee camp, two bombs struck the building in quick succession, killing 33 people, including women and children. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency has accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilian sanctuaries.
In response, the IDF claimed it was attacking a “Hamas command-and-control center” operating inside the school though no independent verification of this claim has been provided.
Another strike on the al-Karama school in eastern Tuffah district early Wednesday reportedly killed 15 more, again including civilians. No IDF statement has been issued on this incident as of press time.
A Family Wiped Out in Khan Younis
Elsewhere in southern Gaza, a missile strike on a residential home in Khan Younis wiped out eight members of a single family, according to Civil Defence reports. Local residents said the family had not received any evacuation warnings before the bombing.
War Without Restraint? Global Outcry Over Israel’s New Strategy
The attacks are occurring amid mounting global condemnation of Israel’s decision to escalate its offensive, which officials now openly describe as a campaign to “seize all of Gaza,” displace its population southward, and control aid distribution through private firms.
Israel’s new strategy has alarmed humanitarian groups and foreign governments, who warn it could constitute a de facto annexation and further violate international law. The United Nations, European Union, and several Arab states have called for an immediate de-escalation and a return to ceasefire negotiations.
Aid Cutoff and a Humanitarian Abyss
Israel cut off all humanitarian aid to Gaza on March 2, intensifying its bombardments two weeks later after a two-month ceasefire collapsed. Officials say the goal is to increase pressure on Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages a strategy that, critics argue, is punishing Gaza’s entire population for the actions of militants.
A War of Numbers and Suffering
Since the conflict reignited on October 7, 2023, following Hamas’ surprise cross-border attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to 251 hostages, Gaza has been turned into a war zone of staggering human loss.
The Hamas-run health ministry reports at least 52,653 deaths in Gaza since then a figure that includes thousands of women and children. International watchdogs and rights groups have demanded independent investigations into potential war crimes committed by all parties involved.
“Collateral” or Civilian? A War Blurring the Lines
As the world watches with growing unease, the bloodshed on al-Wahda Street is a grim symbol of a war that no longer distinguishes between combatant and civilian. With schools, restaurants, and homes reduced to rubble, many ask:
Is this counterterrorism or collective punishment disguised as it?
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