20 Palestinians killed as Israeli jets strike 2 houses in northern Gaza

By Ramzi Mahmud

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – At least 20 people were killed when Israeli fighter jets bombed two houses in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to local media.

The airstrikes targeted two houses in the Jabalia refugee camp and Saftawi area north of Gaza City, the official news agency Wafa reported.

Wafa, citing medical sources, said the bodies of 20 people were transferred to Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza following the attack.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

At least 30,410 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed and 71,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza, leaving its population, particularly residents in the north, on the verge of starvation.

At least 116 people were killed on Thursday when Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid south of Gaza City, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli war, now in its 149th day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi