An Israeli airstrike that struck several houses and a multi-storey residential building in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, on Saturday led to dozens of casualties, according to local doctors and officials. Rescue operations are ongoing.
The Hamas media office reported that at least 73 people had been killed in the strike. While the health ministry did not immediately confirm the death toll, Medway Abbas, a senior official from the ministry, indicated that the figures reported by Hamas were accurate.
In response, the Israeli military stated that it was investigating the incident but claimed the casualty numbers were exaggerated. According to the military, the figures provided by Hamas did not correspond with their intelligence, the munitions used, or the precision of the strike, which they said targeted a Hamas position.
Palestinian health officials reported that rescue efforts were hindered due to the ongoing blackout of telecommunications and internet services. Earlier in the day, the Gaza health ministry confirmed that Israeli airstrikes had killed 35 Palestinians across the territory.
“This is a war of genocide and ethnic cleansing. The occupation has conducted a horrifying massacre in Beit Lahiya,” declared the Hamas media office in a statement.
Residents and medics reported that Israeli forces intensified their siege on Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in Gaza, surrounding the area with tanks and extending their operations to nearby towns, including Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. Evacuation orders were issued to residents.
Israeli forces were accused of bombing houses and besieging hospitals, blocking the entry of essential medical and food supplies to force civilians to leave the area. Health officials stated that they refused orders to evacuate the hospitals, insisting on staying with critically wounded patients.
“Hospitals in northern Gaza are suffering from severe shortages of medical supplies and manpower. We are overwhelmed by the influx of casualties,” said Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. He explained that the staff had to make heartbreaking decisions about which wounded patients to prioritize, resulting in the deaths of several who could not receive immediate care.
Israeli Leaflet Campaign Targets Hamas Leadership
Earlier on Saturday, Israeli planes dropped leaflets over southern Gaza, featuring the image of the deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar with the message: “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza.” This language mirrored recent statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli strikes killed at least 108 people across Gaza on Saturday. The leaflets, written in Arabic, stated, “Whoever lays down their weapons and releases the hostages will be allowed to leave and live in peace.”
The leaflet references a statement made by Netanyahu on Thursday, following the killing of Sinwar by Israeli soldiers near Rafah, close to the Egyptian border. Sinwar was reportedly responsible for the Oct. 7 attack on Israeli communities last year, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and the abduction of 253 people, according to Israeli reports.
Israel’s ongoing military operations have devastated Gaza, with more than 42,500 Palestinians killed and an estimated 10,000 more presumed buried under the rubble, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
In separate strikes across Gaza, 11 people were killed in Al-Maghzai camp, four in Nuseirat, and five in Khan Younis and Rafah, medical officials reported. Additional airstrikes claimed lives in the Shati camp and Nuseirat later on Saturday. On Friday, Israeli strikes killed 33 people, mostly women and children, in Jabalia.
The Israeli military denied knowledge of the Jabalia incident but confirmed that operations against Hamas continued across Gaza, dismantling military infrastructure and eliminating several Hamas fighters. Medics in Jabalia reported five more fatalities on Saturday.
Source: Reuters
