Israeli strikes on Rafah claim 13 lives including 9 children as US advances aid package

NEW DELHI: Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, southern Gaza, claimed lives of 13 people, including nine children, according to health officials on Sunday.
The airstrikes came as the United States is set to approve billions of dollars in additional military aid to Israel, its close ally, despite the ongoing conflict.
Israel has carried out air raids on Rafah almost daily, where more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have sought refuge from the fighting elsewhere.It has also vowed to expand its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the US.
The first airstrike killed a man, his pregnant wife, and their 3-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, which received the bodies. The doctors managed to save the baby. The second strike killed eight children and two women, all from the same family, according to hospital records. An airstrike in Rafah the night before killed nine people, including six children.
Meanwhile, United States' House of Representatives approved a $26 billion aid package on Saturday that includes around $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.
The Israel-Hamas war has claimed the lives of over 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and has devastated Gaza's two largest cities, leaving a swath of destruction across the territory. Approximately 80% of the population have fled their homes to other parts of the besieged coastal enclave, which experts say is on the brink of famine.
The conflict, now in its seventh month, has triggered regional unrest, pitting Israel and the US against Iran and allied militant groups across the Middle East. Earlier this month, Israel and Iran exchanged fire directly, heightening concerns of an all-out war between the long-time adversaries.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 469 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza. Most have been killed during Israeli military arrest raids, which often trigger gunbattles, or in violent protests.
The war in Gaza was triggered by an unprecedented Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel, in which Hamas and other militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel claims that militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the war has killed at least 34,049 Palestinians and wounded another 76,901. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count but says at least two-thirds have been children and women. It also says the real toll is likely higher as many bodies are stuck beneath the rubble left by airstrikes or are in areas that are unreachable for medics.