Residential neighborhoods ‘real target’ of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza: Media office

By Abdul Raouf Arnaout

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Gaza’s government said Thursday that residential neighborhoods were regularly targeted in Israeli airstrikes on the blockaded territory.

The Israeli army said it had carried out more than 12,000 airstrikes against thousands of military targets in Gaza since Oct. 7.

“Residential neighborhoods, houses, children, women and people gathering at bakeries, hospitals and churches were the real target [of the Israeli strikes],” the Government Media Office said in a statement.

"We challenge the [Israeli] occupation to reveal the nature of these alleged military targets,” the office said.

This week, the Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Nearly 10,600 people have been killed in the conflict, including 9,061 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.

Besides the large number of casualties and displacement, basic supplies are running low for the 2.3 million residents in Gaza due to the Israeli siege.

*Writing by Ziad Aslan in Ankara