At least 32 Palestinians killed in latest Israeli airstrikes across Gaza

At least 32 Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip late Friday and midday Saturday, Palestinian sources said, with attacks targeting a police station, residential apartments and displacement tents.

The strikes came as Israel said it was responding to a Hamas breach of the ceasefire, which Hamas rejected as "false and misleading".

One of the locations targeted by the Israeli airstrike was a tent area in the Mawasi area of the Khan Younis city in the south of Gaza.

A memorial ceremony was held, with mournful relatives of the deceased deeply heartbroken and filled with grief.

"I searched for my daughters and their brother. I called out to them, but no one responded. I tried to cover them with blankets to put out the fire, but they were all burned. I crawled out through an opening and screamed for the neighbors to help me. I saw my granddaughter and grandson among the victims, and after that, I don’t remember what happened," said Hanan Abu Hadid, a relative of the victims.

The witnesses recalled the harrowing scene during the strike, describing the chaos and devastation that unfolded before their eyes.

"Suddenly, the strike happened and the entire area was engulfed in flames. Young men tried to rescue the children and women. It was an extremely difficult scene, impossible to describe or imagine," said Mazen Abu Hadid, an eyewitness.

"We never imagined they would target children, burn them, and kill people while they were asleep in their tents. It was five in the morning, and everyone was sleeping. They struck my cousins' children, despite what was supposed to be a ceasefire in its second phase, which they said would allow us to live in safety," said Mohammed Abu Hadid, a relative of the victims.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that it conducted strikes across the Gaza Strip, targeting "four commanders and additional militants", as well as a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site, and two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip.

It said in a statement that the strikes were in response to an incident on Friday in which eight militants were identified exiting a tunnel in eastern Rafah, an act it deemed a violation of the ceasefire.

Hamas later rejected the claim as "false and misleading", accusing Israel of making "baseless and flimsy claims" that reflect its disregard for mediators, guarantor states, and all parties involved in the broader peace process.

The group called on the international community and the UN to condemn the attacks, take concrete steps to halt them, hold Israeli leaders accountable, and end what it termed a "policy of impunity" that encourages further violence and destruction.

At least 32 Palestinians killed in latest Israeli airstrikes across Gaza

Iraq has seen its aviation industry dealt a huge blow because of continued airspace closures and flight suspensions amid regional hostilities triggered by the recent Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran.

As security concerns persist while tensions remain high, Iraq announced on Friday it would extend the closure of its airspace for one more week as uncertainty over the conflict continues to hang in the air.

It is estimated that the country's aviation industry has lost more than 43 million U.S. dollars over the past month since the crisis erupted, with the war causing huge disruption to air travel across the region.

"After the closure of Iraqi airspace, airport operations were halted, and revenue from both arriving and departing flights was lost. This includes income from passenger services as well as overflying aircraft, which has significantly impacted overall revenues," said Maytham al-Safi, director of media office of the Iraqi Ministry of Transport.

The impact is being felt across the board, from government revenues to private businesses, as some of the leading travel agencies say bookings have completely collapsed, with some reporting daily passenger numbers dropping from around 100 to just five.

"Our company has been directly affected. We have four branches and around 80 employees, and the impact has been significant. We still have rent and other expenses to cover, so we are trying to adapt to whatever limited business is still possible," said Ahmed Khalid, managing director of the Safari Trip travel and tourism company in Baghdad.

With air travel no longer an option, many Iraqis are turning to overland routes -- often traveling for hours, even days, to reach neighboring countries like Türkiye. But the journey is not only longer and more expensive, it can also be highly risky.

"This situation creates real anxiety for families. It's not only the travelers who are at risk, but also the vehicles transporting them. These journeys can be dangerous. There is always the risk of accidents or even drone strikes. At the same time, costs have doubled, so people are facing both financial and safety pressures," said Anwar al-Mousawi, a local resident.

For many, a sense of frustration is growing the longer the current situation drags on, as civilians bear the consequences of a conflict they are not part of, and with no clear timeline for reopening Iraqi airspace, economic losses and public frustration are expected to deepen.

"The reality is, we are in a country that is not part of this war and did not start it, yet we are the ones paying the price," said al-Mousawi.

Iraq's aviation industry left grounded as Middle East crisis continues