33 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in Gaza during Eid holiday, Health Ministry says

The Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha has brought no respite for families in Gaza, where Israeli fire has claimed 33 lives and left more than 130 people wounded since the celebrations began on 28 May 2026. Gaza's Health Ministry reported the latest casualty on Sunday, underscoring how even brief pauses in open conflict fail to shield civilians from ongoing violence.

The Rising Death Toll Amid Festive Days

One Palestinian was killed and eight others injured by Israeli army fire in the last 24 hours alone, according to the Health Ministry. These figures bring the total deaths during the four-day Eid al-Adha period to 33. A medical source confirmed that a man succumbed early Sunday to injuries from an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Saturday.

Funeral processions, such as the one held for seven victims of an airstrike on a residential apartment in Gaza City, have become grim markers of the holiday. The attacks persisted despite the US-mediated ceasefire in place since 10 October 2025.

Details of Attacks Since the Ceasefire Began

Israeli attacks have killed over 925 Palestinians and injured more than 2,810 since the ceasefire took effect, the Gaza Media Office stated. These numbers add to the nearly 73,000 killed and over 172,000 injured during the preceding two-year period that began in October 2023, with the majority of victims being women and children.

The Health Ministry highlighted that more than 130 injuries occurred in the days following the first day of Eid, revealing a pattern of sustained military activity even during periods traditionally observed as sacred.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on the Brink of Closure

In central Gaza's Deir al-Balah, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital faces an immediate crisis. Director Riad Hussein reported that operating rooms have already shut down because electric generators failed under the strain of the months-long Israeli blockade.

Hussein warned of an imminent total shutdown if conditions do not improve. He noted that intensive care, dialysis, and neonatal care units are also at risk of halting operations, leaving thousands without access to life-saving treatment.

Human Rights Concerns for Gaza's Civilian Population

The combination of lethal fire during Eid and the blockade-induced collapse of medical services points to deepening violations of basic protections for non-combatants. Families in Gaza must navigate both direct violence and the denial of essential healthcare, conditions that erode any sense of security even in moments of cultural significance.

Local communities in places like Gaza City and Deir al-Balah experience these events as direct assaults on daily survival, where the inability to mourn or seek treatment compounds long-standing hardships rooted in restricted movement and resource access.

What Continued Blockade and Violence Mean for Daily Life

With hospitals nearing total failure and casualty counts climbing, residents face an uncertain future where Eid gatherings turn into sites of loss rather than celebration. The blockade's effects on power and medical supplies illustrate how policies targeting infrastructure directly threaten the most vulnerable, including children requiring neonatal care and patients needing dialysis.

These developments leave Gaza's population with limited avenues for recovery, as the human cost accumulates without adequate international intervention to restore basic services or enforce sustained protection measures.