Israeli airstrike kills and injures several in residential area in northern Gaza

By Nour Abuaisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - An Israeli airstrike on Saturday evening targeted a residential block in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia, killing and injuring 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 airstrike reportedly hit five homes near the town’s western roundabout, devastating an area that was home to many displaced residents.

With civil defense teams unable to operate in the area, Palestinian civilians have taken it upon themselves to search for survivors, desperately digging through rubble to rescue the wounded and locate missing residents, according to Al-Aqsa TV.

The airstrike on the densely populated residential block has left numerous people unaccounted for.

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

The Gaza Government Media Office has said more than 820 Palestinians have so far been killed in Israel’s 22-day military offensives in northern Gaza, which Gaza officials 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 the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

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

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