A tragic incident unfolded in Beit Lahiya, a town in northern Gaza, when an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building, resulting in the deaths or disappearances of at least 93 Palestinians, as reported by the Gaza health ministry. The assault has also left many others injured.
The United States condemned the attack, labeling it “horrifying.” Among those affected are at least 20 children, according to medical personnel. Rescue efforts are ongoing but are hindered by the extensive destruction, with many victims still trapped beneath the rubble, as reported by Reuters.
The Gaza health ministry stated, “A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them.” The death toll may continue to climb, with Ismail Al-Thawabta, head of the Gaza government media office, confirming the grim count of 93 fatalities.
The Israeli military has yet to provide a comment on the incident and has previously cast doubt on the casualty figures released by the Hamas-run media office, suggesting they might be inflated.
This airstrike is part of a broader conflict that has claimed more than 43,000 lives in Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry. The situation remains dire, with approximately 100,000 individuals stranded in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun, lacking access to essential medical and food supplies.
In a response to the high death toll, U.S. officials expressed concern. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller referred to the attack as a “horrifying incident with a horrifying result.” He confirmed that U.S. officials had reached out to the Israeli government for clarification on the circumstances of the strike and acknowledged reports indicating that many of the deceased were children.
The UN Human Rights Office expressed its shock over one of the deadliest attacks in nearly three months, calling for a swift and transparent investigation into the events that transpired.
Video footage obtained by Reuters depicted several bodies wrapped in blankets outside a bombed four-story structure. As neighbors rushed to assist in rescue efforts, more bodies and survivors were being retrieved from the debris.
“There are tens of martyrs. Many displaced people were living in this house. The house was bombed without prior warning,” said Ismail Ouaida, a witness involved in the recovery efforts, in the video.
On Tuesday, Palestinian health officials reported that more casualties occurred due to an Israeli airstrike that hit three homes in Beit Lahiya. The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service noted that around 100,000 people remained trapped in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun, without access to medical or food supplies, although this number could not be independently verified.
The health ministry warned that those injured in the Beit Lahiya strike were unable to receive care as medical staff had been forced to evacuate the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital. “Critical cases without intervention will succumb to their destiny and die,” the ministry stated.
Gaza’s emergency services reported that their operations had ground to a halt due to the ongoing three-week Israeli assault in northern Gaza. Israel maintains that its military campaign aims to dismantle the Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose fighters have regrouped in the region amid the prolonged conflict.
The escalation followed Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and the abduction of over 250 individuals taken into Gaza, according to Israeli accounts. Since then, the death toll from Israel’s retaliatory air and ground assaults in Gaza has exceeded 43,000, as reported by the Gaza health ministry.
This ongoing conflict has also triggered broader regional tensions, with Israel conducting airstrikes in Lebanon and deploying forces in the southern region to counteract Iran-backed Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas.
The recent airstrike occurred shortly after Israel’s parliament approved legislation banning the UN relief agency, UNRWA, from operating within its territory. This decision has raised concerns among Israel’s Western allies, who fear it could exacerbate the already critical humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Israeli officials have pointed to the involvement of a few UNRWA staff members in the October 7 attack, citing their alleged membership in Hamas and other armed factions. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, condemned the move as “collective punishment.”
The implications of this decision for the lives of Palestinians, particularly in the Gaza Strip, remain unclear, especially as the United Nations has indicated that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have become internally displaced since the onset of the conflict over a year ago.
For updates and more information, join our WhatsApp channel: WhatsApp Channel.