An overnight Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza has killed at least 19 civilians, including nine children, in what many are calling a deliberate attack on innocent Palestinians, medical officials and the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency report. The strike devastated a three-storey residential building near Kamal Adwan hospital in the town of Beit Lahia, leaving many trapped under rubble.
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Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal described the scene as “catastrophic,” noting that dozens of people were living in the building at the time of the attack. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue amid the ruins.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted responsibility for the strike, claiming they were targeting a Hamas “terrorist” in the vicinity. However, they disputed the reported death toll, stating, “the number of casualties published in the media is inaccurate and does not align with the information held by the IDF.” Despite Israel’s deflection, the reality on the ground shows entire families wiped out in an area already suffering unimaginable devastation.
The strike comes as northern Gaza remains under an intensified Israeli siege. The UN reports that up to 75,000 people in Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia have been cut off from food, water, electricity, and healthcare for over two months. “Virtually no humanitarian aid has been delivered for 66 days,” the UN stated, leaving thousands of civilians on the brink of starvation and disease.
Further compounding the crisis are continued attacks on hospitals in northern Gaza, which are barely functioning due to supply shortages. Kamal Adwan hospital itself has been targeted multiple times, with fire, bombs, and shelling killing medics, patients, and even children. “Such attacks are unacceptable and are depriving people in northern Gaza of the already minimal health services they had left,” said the head of the World Health Organization.
Despite Israel’s claims that their operations are targeting “terrorists,” international observers argue the relentless bombardment amounts to collective punishment of civilians and clear violations of international law. Human rights groups have condemned Israel’s actions as war crimes, accusing the state of deliberately striking civilian infrastructure and residential areas.
Israel’s continued strikes have exacerbated Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe, with tens of thousands of lives hanging in the balance. Meanwhile, the international community faces mounting pressure to hold Israel accountable for its role in what many are describing as an ongoing campaign of terror against Palestinians.
