At least 30 killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza today

Israeli veteran calls for urgent action amid rise in soldier suicides post war

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At least 30 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza since dawn, including seven people reportedly seeking aid, according to medical sources on Friday. 

Two of the victims were killed in the al-Shakoush area northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza, hospital officials said.

The United Nations reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire, warning that children in Gaza are running out of time.

"In Gaza, time is running out for children caught up in the horrors of war,” the UN said in a statement on X. “How much longer until a ceasefire is reached so that bombs stop falling on emaciated and dying children?”

“How much longer until a ceasefire is reached so that bombs stop falling on emaciated and dying children?"

In Gaza, time is running out for children caught up in the horrors of war.@UNRWA's @JulietteTouma shares some of their stories.https://t.co/jIephLx6XQ

— United Nations (@UN) July 18, 2025

Israeli forces are using drone-fired missiles packed with nails, causing horrific injuries, reports Al Jazeera’s Gaza City correspondent Hani Mahmoud.

“Doctors say they are doing everything possible to save the lives of many of the children who were transferred to hospital today after they sustained severe burns and injuries from flying shrapnel,” Mahmoud said.

“These drone missiles are packed with nails, and when they explode pieces of metal fly at a very high speed — piercing bodies, causing internal injuries that leads to severe bleeding that causes the majority of deaths from those attacked by drone missiles.”

“These attacks are happening despite all the claims by the Israel military that prides itself of using sophisticated, advanced weapons,” he added.

“But when we look at what’s happening on the ground, and we see the number of casualties and the kind of targets being hit, it contradicts what the Israeli military is marketing.”

An Israeli tank manoeuvres near heavy machinery with the destruction of northern Gaza evident in the background [Amir Cohen/Reuters]

Explosions send smoke into the air in Gaza on Thursday evening [Amir Cohen/Reuters]

Explosions send smoke and debris high into the air in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on July 17, 2025 [Amir Cohen/Reuters]

Flares fired by Israeli forces light up the night sky above Gaza [Amir Cohen/Reuters]

Rising suicides among Israeli war returnees

An Israeli combat veteran has sounded the alarm over what he describes as a mental health crisis among soldiers returning from combat in Gaza, citing a recent spike in suicides.

Speaking to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Tzachi Atedagi, an advocate for the mental health of soldiers, said 10 soldiers had taken their own lives in less than two weeks.

“We are crying out. Enough is enough,” Atedagi told Kan Network B’s This Morning programme.

He said returning combat veterans are struggling to access timely care due to overwhelming bureaucracy.

“Sometimes, a combat veteran doesn’t have 24 hours to wait,” he added, referring to recent suicides by soldiers waiting for mental health support.

Suicides since the beginning of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023 — the highest number in over a decade. Since then, multiple additional cases have emerged. However, an updated official figure is not expected until the end of the year.

Earlier this week, The Times of Israel reported that a soldier was seriously wounded in an apparent suicide attempt while undergoing training in southern Israel.

Church shelling sparks international backlash

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted a military shell struck the Holy Family Church — Gaza’s only Catholic place of worship — calling it a “stray” round and expressing regret over civilian casualties.

“Every innocent life lost is a tragedy,” said Netanyahu in a statement, adding that Israel remains “committed to protecting civilians and holy sites.”

Archbishop Alexios stands in front of the bodies of Palestinian Christians Saad Salama and Foumia Ayyad, who were killed in an Israeli strike on the Holy Family Church, according to medics, as mourners attend their funeral at the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, in Gaza City on July 17, 2025. — Reuters

A Christian Palestinian woman attends the funeral ceremony of Saad Salameh and Foumia Ayyad, killed earlier in an Israeli strike that hit the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, at the Saint Porphyrius Church on July 17. — AFP

Christian Palestinian mourners attend the funeral ceremony of Saad Salameh and Foumia Ayyad, killed earlier in an Israeli strike that hit the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, at the Saint Porphyrius Church on July 17. — AFP

Christian Palestinian mourners attend the funeral ceremony of Saad Salameh and Foumia Ayyad, killed earlier in an Israeli strike that hit the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, at the Saint Porphyrius Church on July 17. — AFP

His comments followed mounting US pressure, including a call with President Donald Trump, during which Netanyahu reportedly admitted the attack was a mistake.

Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, head of the French Catholic charity l’Oeuvre d’Orient, condemned the shelling as “totally unacceptable.”

“This was a place of peace, of service to the population,” he told AFP. “There were families. There were civilians.”

The Holy Family Church had served as a shelter for many displaced residents since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.