Israeli strikes on southern Gaza kills 18 people, including 14 children

An overnight Israeli airstrike on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza killed 18 people, most of them children, as US lawmakers moved forward with a package to send millions of dollars to Israel.

Kuwait hospital officials said the first Israeli airstrike killed a man, his wife and their 3-year-old child, according to the Associated Press. The news agency said his wife was pregnant, but doctors were able to save her baby.

A second Israeli airstrike killed 13 children and two women, The Associated Press reported, citing hospital records. The Associated Press noted that all those killed in the second attack were members of the same family.

Since Hamas launched an unprecedented offensive against Israel on October 7, 2023, Gaza has been under attack by Israel on an almost daily basis. As Israel continues to target militants in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate them.

President Biden has been warning Israel for months against an invasion of Rafah, where it is estimated that more than 1 million civilians have fled on Israeli orders. He told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February that the invasion of Rafah “should not proceed” without a plan.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that a date had been set for the invasion of Rafah.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have now died in the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Many world leaders and humanitarian organizations have called for a ceasefire as people living in Gaza continue to face dire conditions.

After months of stalling in the House, the House approved a massive foreign aid package on Saturday.

The package, which now goes to the Senate for approval, provides about $61 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for humanitarian aid in places like Israel and Gaza, and $8 billion for Taiwan and other U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region. It is something to do.

The Associated Press contributed.