GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defence agency said on Wednesday that an overnight Israeli air strike in the northern part of the Palestinian territory killed at least 22 people, including women and children.
“At least 22 people were martyred in the massacre committed by the occupation military after it bombed a house belonging to the Abu al-Tarabish family near Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza,” agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
Bassal said that an Israeli jet had fired three missiles at the house around midnight, adding the strike completely destroyed the three-storey structure.
More than 50 people were living in the house, he said, with many still under the rubble.
“Rescuers were unable to evacuate the martyrs or the wounded until this morning,” said Jaber Alian, 30, who witnessed the strike from a house near the hospital.
He told AFP there were several other bombings across the northern parts of the territory during the night.
The Israeli military confirmed it carried out a strike in the Jabalia area near the Kamal Adwan hospital on Tuesday night.
“According to an initial examination, the number of casualties resulting from the strike published in the media is inaccurate and does not align with the information held by the (Israeli military),” it told AFP in a statement.
“The (military) is continuing to examine the incident.” It did not give a toll of its own from the strike.
Israeli Military’s Sweeping Operation in Northern Gaza
For several weeks, the Israeli military has been engaged in a sweeping operation in northern Gaza, particularly in Jabalia, where it says Hamas fighters had been regrouping.
In another strike in central Gaza on Wednesday morning, at least seven people were killed when an Israeli warplane struck the house of the Al-Bayoumi family in Nuseirat refugee camp, Bassal said.
The military, meanwhile, said two projectiles crossed from central Gaza into Israel on Wednesday, but were intercepted by the air force.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 44,805 people, mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry that is considered reliable by the UN.
Gaza Truce Efforts
Meanwhile, efforts are underway in Egypt to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is heading to Israel this week for talks on a truce deal in Gaza, among others, Al Jazeera reported.
Sullivan will meet Israeli officials to discuss “efforts to reach a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza, the latest developments in Syria, and for discussions about Lebanon and Iran,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not stop the war in Gaza “now”, despite reports of renewed efforts towards talks on a ceasefire.
Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said “If we end the war now, Hamas will return, recover, rebuild and attack us again.”
Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
