By The New Arab Staff
Palestinian artist Frans al-Salmi was among the dead and journalist Bayan Abusultan was wounded in the strike.
An Israeli airstrike has killed more than 30 Palestinians at a beachfront cafe in Gaza City on Monday, according to the health ministry.
Around 50 others were wounded in the attack, which struck the Al-Baqa cafeteria on Monday, one of the few remaining locations with internet access in the area.
Images shared by Quds Network showed emergency responders recovering bodies and searching through the rubble. The cafe was reportedly crowded with civilians, including journalists, at the time of the strike.
Gaza’s Government Media Office confirmed that Palestinian photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab, who has worked with several media outlets and had organised exhibitions about Gaza abroad, was among those killed. His death brings the number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 227, according to the same source.
Visual artist Frans al-Salmi was also reported among the fatalities, while famed journalist Bayan Abusultan was wounded in the strike, though her current condition remains unknown.
Witnesses described scenes of blood and carnage as people looking for a rare moment of calm were struck during the strike. Social media images shared by Gaza journalist Belal Khaled showed Abusultan injured and visibly shaken.
Continued attacks across the Strip
In the past 24 hours, Israel launched some of its heaviest air raids in recent weeks. Al Jazeera reported that at least 80 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Monday. The toll includes 57 people killed in northern Gaza and 15 near aid distribution centres in Rafah, in the south.
Two schools in Zeitoun and Tuffah, which were sheltering displaced Palestinians, were struck overnight. A food distribution warehouse in Zeitoun was also hit, as humanitarian infrastructure came under continued fire.
In a post on X, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued threats to residents in parts of Gaza City, including East Zaytoun, the Old City, Turkmen, Ajdida, Tuffah, and Daraj.
Evacuation orders in northern Gaza have forced repeated displacement, with over 76 percent of the enclave under military orders as of 15 June, causing severe instability.
Hospitals hit amid fuel shortage crisis
The World Health Organisation in occupied Palestine reported that a tent sheltering displaced people at Al‑Aqsa Hospital in Deir al‑Balah was hit on Sunday, injuring five. The attack damaged the internal medicine department and disrupted the hospital’s oxygen supply.
Since October 2023, WHO has recorded 734 attacks on health care facilities in Gaza. WHO said that “ongoing attacks on health care and continued hostilities near hospitals are fuelling fear among already traumatised communities and placing further strain on facilities struggling to cope”.
A growing fuel crisis now threatens the delivery of essential services, including hospital and water services. As of June 26, only around 140,000 litres of fuel remained in northern Gaza and 272,000 litres in the south, with allocations limited to healthcare facilities for just four days.
Hospitals are operating on minimal power with critical systems, including ventilators, incubators, and cold-chain storage, at risk of shutting down.
OCHA warns that water, sanitation, and waste services are collapsing, and only 40 percent of drinking water production is operational, meaning a failure to lift the fuel blockade is likely to result in more “senseless and preventable death”.
Meanwhile, mediators continue to push for a truce, with Qatar and the US expressing cautious optimism. Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister is expected to be in Washington, while Prime Minister Netanyahu and senior officials debate sending a delegation to talks in Egypt or Qatar.
According to reports, more than half of the deal terms are agreed, but disagreements remain over troop withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and humanitarian monitoring.
1 July 2025
Source: newarab.com