Skip to content Skip to footer

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill 90 in One Day, Including 6 at an Orphanage

Israeli forces killed at least eight Palestinians at an orphanage on Wednesday, as Israel itself was bombed by Iran.

A child looks on while walking through the rubble of a collapsed building in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 2, 2024.

As Israeli officials were vowing to retaliate against Iran and plotting an invasion of Lebanon, the Israeli military was carrying out attacks across Gaza, killing dozens in 24 hours, Gaza officials said on Wednesday.

Overnight on Wednesday, Israeli forces dropped bombs across the strip and undertook a ground incursion in Khan Yunis, killing at least 90 Palestinians and injuring dozens of others.

Israeli forces bombed two schools, in Gaza City and central Gaza. They also bombed an orphanage in western Gaza City, the Al-Amal Orphanage. The orphanage posted on Facebook that the bombing killed eight people, including children, and caused a “large number” of injuries.

The attacks are Israel’s latest on schools and other children’s facilities in Gaza. In late September, the UN noted three Israeli attacks on schools in Gaza in three days — one of which targeted a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City where a group of orphans had been waiting to receive humanitarian aid. In all, up until September 23, Israel had killed at least 86 Palestinians across 10 schools in September alone, the UN reported.

In southern Gaza, Israeli forces sent tanks into Khan Yunis on Wednesday, where troops killed at least 51 people, according to Gaza officials. At least 12 children, including a 22-month-old baby, were killed by the combination of the ground and air attack. Israel has repeatedly sent troops into Khan Yunis, and this time launched an overnight operation into three neighborhoods of the city.

The attacks came as the Israeli military said that it launched a ground invasion into southern Lebanon on Tuesday. Israeli forces said that the incursions would be “limited,” though Israeli leaders have indicated that they are looking to invade and occupy a wide swath of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah officials, however, have denied that Israeli forces have crossed into the country.

Meanwhile, Iran launched roughly 180 missiles into Israel, striking infrastructure within the region. One Palestinian, who had been stranded in the occupied West Bank since Israel’s genocide began, was killed by one of the strikes, while two people were wounded. The Israeli military said that Israelis were all in bomb shelters amid the attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that Iran will “pay a heavy price” for the strikes, which came nearly a year into Israel’s genocide in Gaza and as Israel has launched its largest attack on Lebanon in decades, killing at least 1,800 people and injuring at least 9,100 so far.

On top of Israel’s attacks in Gaza on Wednesday, the humanitarian catastrophe across the strip is only worsening as Israel continues its blockade of and attacks on humanitarian aid.

Aid entry into Gaza hit a record low in September, with an average of only 52 truckloads of aid entering each day as Israel has denied and delayed passage for humanitarian convoys and targeted them with attacks; the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) chief, Philippe Lazzarini, warned last month that Israel is denying visas to aid groups and leaders and “phasing out representation” of humanitarian groups in Gaza.

This has had disastrous consequences for Palestinians in Gaza. On Wednesday, Lazzarini said that over 1.4 million people did not receive any food rations from aid operations in September, up from over 1 million in August.

“Again and again hunger is spreading in Gaza. It is entirely man-made. Nearly 70 percent of crop fields have been destroyed. An entire population is forced to exclusively rely on humanitarian aid,” said Lazzarini. “Restrictions and delays in aid deliveries only worsen an already dire situation for displaced families. With winter approaching and weather conditions deteriorating, lack of adequate humanitarian supplies will only generate more suffering.”

Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One

Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.

Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.

Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.

As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.

And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.

In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.

We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.

We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $145,000 in one-time donations and to add 1489 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.

Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.

If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!

With gratitude and resolve,

Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy