Israeli military aircraft pounded the Beit Lahiya area of Gaza, killing at least 19 Palestinians. The bombing came a week after a raid killed almost 100 civilians who were trying to rescue survivors amidst buildings full of rubble in the besieged northern town.
On Tuesday night, the latest strikes hit residential houses belonging to the Al Louh family, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza. It followed another bomb against a five-story building belonging to the Abu Nasr family, which killed at least 93 people, including 25 children, and injured scores.
With tensions high amid growing violence, the Israeli military said it was “looking into the reports” regarding the latest strikes, and the United States condemned the incident, labeling it “horrifying.”
The United Nations Human Rights Office described the strike as one of the deadliest single attacks so far in Gaza in nearly three months. UN’s humanitarian agency has reported that the Abu Nasr family home assault was part of seven “mass casualty incidents” in Gaza within the past week.
Now in its 26th day, the siege of northern Gaza coincides with increased Israeli air and ground operations. The offensive by the Israeli military has been justified as a way to forestall Hamas fighters from reconsolidating after earlier claims that the extremist group had been wiped out from the region.
The Palestinian Civil Defence said more than 100,000 people remain stranded in northern Gaza without access to food and water, and many are buried under the rubble of bombed homes. Rescue teams have been trying their best to reach the needy, though multiple attacks, along with the blockade, impede such efforts.
The footage of the bombing showed how desultory civilians were undertaking rescue operations to save people buried under the rubble. At the same time, bodies draped with blankets lay outside the destroyed buildings, underlining scenes of devastation. Eyewitness accounts spoke of chaos and losses, amidst which one woman was quoted saying how many of her family members had died, asking, “What wrong did they do?
Survivors described most of the casualties as women and children, and one of them said the explosion initially sounded like shelling. Meanwhile, the situation in hospitals is dire. The Kamal Adwan Hospital, the leading medical facility in the area, is out of service and devoid of many basics. According to the director, many staff members had been arrested during raids over the past few days, leaving the facility unable to care for people.
A State Department spokesman in the United States also expressed deep concern regarding the incidents and described them as “horrifying.” Similarly, the UN’s OHCHR urged a proper investigation into the attacks. It called for access to emergency services at affected sites in northern Gaza.
UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland strongly condemned the strikes, noting violations of international humanitarian law and the continued humanitarian plight facing civilians. Palestinian officials estimated that at least 43,061 Palestinians, Mostly women and children, died due to this year-plus conflict.
