Palestinian civil defence members hand over to each other a child that was rescued following Israeli bombardment on the four-storey Muqat family house in the Zarqa neighbourhood in the north of Gaza City. AFP
The Palestinian Health Ministry’s emergency service said that 11 women and two children were among those killed in the strikes late Saturday on several homes and buildings in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
It said another 15 people were wounded and that the death toll could rise. It listed the names of those killed, who mostly came from three families.
Red Cross describes ‘horrific circumstances’ in northern Gaza
Israel has been waging a massive air and ground offensive in northern Gaza since Oct. 6, after saying that Hamas fighters had regrouped there.
Hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled to Gaza City in the latest wave of displacement in the yearlong war.
Aid groups have warned of a catastrophic situation in northern Gaza, which was the first target of Israel's ground offensive and had already suffered the heaviest destruction of the war.
Israel has severely limited the entry of basic humanitarian aid in recent weeks, and the three remaining hospitals in the north — one of which was raided over the weekend — say they have been overwhelmed by waves of wounded people.
The International Committee of the Red Cross on Saturday said that ongoing Israeli evacuation orders and restrictions on the entry of essential supplies to the north had left the civilian population in “horrific circumstances.”
“Many civilians are currently unable to move, trapped by fighting, destruction or physical constraint and now lack access to even basic medical care,” it said.
Hospital reels after Israeli raid detains dozens of medics
Israeli troops raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north on Friday, detaining dozens of medical staff and causing heavy damage, according to the Health Ministry.
Footage circulated online showing the courtyard bulldozed and the wards ransacked. Israeli troops withdrew on Saturday.
The head of the World Health Organization said 44 male staff members were detained at the hospital.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said only female staff, the hospital director and one male doctor were left to care for almost 200 patients.
Among those detained and taken away was Dr. Mohamed Obeid, head of the orthopedics’ department at nearby Al-Awda Hospital, according to Al-Awda Hospital. His whereabouts are unknown.
Throughout the yearlong war, Israeli forces have stormed and bombarded a number of hospitals including the strip’s largest medical facility, Shifa Hospital.
Israel's offensive has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians since the war began, according to the Health Ministry. More than half of those killed were women and children.
The offensive has devastated much of the impoverished coastal territory and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million, often multiple times. Hundreds of thousands of people have crowded into squalid tent camps along the coast, and aid groups say hunger is rampant.
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