What Happened in Gaza: Short Update and English Practice

On January 31, 2026, intensive air strikes struck multiple areas of the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, Gaza City and Khan Younis, and casualty figures have varied across reports, with some tallies listing at least 26 dead while others put the number higher. Hospitals received many of the wounded, and emergency teams faced blocked roads and damaged infrastructure that left some victims trapped beneath rubble. The attacks damaged homes and tents used by displaced families, worsening a humanitarian crisis that has been building for many months.

The Israeli military described the strikes as operations against Hamas commanders and fighters who had emerged from tunnel shafts near Rafah, and military units said they acted to remove an immediate threat; nevertheless, the strikes came as the Rafah crossing with Egypt was due to reopen, a step that was meant to ease movement for patients and others. International concern widened after the attacks, and Egypt and Qatar publicly criticized the bombings while calls for safe passage and more aid were renewed.

Hospitals have been operating with limited supplies and intermittent power, which has reduced the level of care that can be given; consequently many wounded have received only basic treatment and complex surgery was often postponed. People who had returned to damaged neighbourhoods now face fresh displacement, and if border access remains restricted it will be harder for patients to reach out-of-area hospitals. For many civilians, daily life has been disrupted for so long that basic choices about where to live and how to care for family members have become difficult.