UPDATE 2: Israeli strike in northern Gaza kills 93: Palestinian medical officials

Ahram Online , Tuesday 29 Oct 2024

Gaza's civil defence agency said Tuesday that 93 people were killed in an overnight Israeli air strike on a residential building in the northern district of Beit Lahia.

Palestinians receive medical attention at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza St
Palestinians receive medical attention at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP

 

"The number of martyrs in the massacre of the Abu Nasr family home in Beit Lahia has risen to 93 martyrs, and about 40 are still missing under the rubble," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP in an updated toll.

Dr Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital, said it was overwhelmed by the wave of wounded people from the strike. Israeli forces raided the medical facility over the weekend, detaining dozens of medics.

The Israeli military has repeatedly struck shelters for displaced people killing civilians, mostly women and children.

Israel's latest major operation in northern Gaza focused on the Jabaliya refugee camp, has killed hundreds of people and driven tens of thousands from their homes in another wave of mass displacement more than a year into the war on the tiny coastal territory.

Israel has also sharply restricted aid to the north this month, prompting a warning from the United States that failure to facilitate greater aid efforts could lead to a reduction in military aid.

Palestinians fear Israel is enacting a plan proposed by a group of former generals, who suggested the civilian population of the north should be ordered to evacuate, aid supplies should be cut off, and anyone remaining there should be considered a militant.

The military has denied it is carrying out such a plan, while the government has not said clearly whether it is carrying out all or part of it.

On Monday, Israel's parliament passed two laws that could prevent the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees — the largest aid provider in Gaza — from operating in the Palestinian territories. It was the culmination of a long-running campaign against UNRWA, which Israel contends has been infiltrated by Hamas, allegations denied by the agency.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed over 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities. Around 90% of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced from their homes, often multiple times.

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