Hamas condemns Israeli ‘crime’ against residential block in Beit Lahia of northern Gaza

By Nour Abuaisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Hamas condemned on Saturday an Israeli attack on a residential area in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

“The brutal crime carried out by the terrorist occupation army in Beit Lahiya … represents one of the most horrific forms of genocide and forced displacement known in modern times,” according to a statement by the Palestinian resistance group. “This crime is a continuation of the ongoing massacres against our people in northern Gaza, without the world moving to stop them.”

Hamas held "Washington and the complicit capitals responsible for the ongoing massacres and extermination in northern Gaza.”

The airstrike late Saturday killed and injured several Palestinians, according to local reports.

Al-Aqsa TV reported that the Israeli army “committed a new massacre in Beit Lahia, killing and injuring dozens of Palestinians,” although exact numbers were not provided. The strike reportedly hit five homes near the town’s western roundabout, devastating an area that was home to many displaced residents.

During more than a year of extensive bombardment against Gaza, the Israeli army has frequently targeted hospitals, houses of worship and schools housing displaced people -- all civilian facilities that are prohibited under wartime rules.

The Gaza Media Office has said more than 820 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s 22-day military offensives in northern Gaza, which officials in the enclave describe as a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack last year by Hamas.

Nearly 43,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 100,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala