By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned on Wednesday Israel’s attack on a residential building in the Gaza Strip that killed nearly 100 people.
At least 93 Palestinians were killed Tuesday and dozens were injured in a strike on the building in the town of Beit Lahia, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that Guterres was "deeply shocked" by reports of the airstrike and the UN chief "unequivocally condemns the widespread killing and injury of civilians and the ongoing displacement of the population."
"All parties to the conflict must comply by their obligations on international law, including the obligation to protect civilians," said Dujarric.
"The toll of the violence in Gaza is unconscionable. There must be an immediate cease-fire. And he reiterates, once again, his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza. Time to stop the bloodshed," he added.
More than 100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in Beit Lahia in two airstrikes, including the one that resulted in the deaths of 93 victims when a residential building belonging to the Abu Al-Nasr family was bombed in the morning.
The Israeli army has continued a deadly onslaught in northern Gaza since Oct. 5 to allegedly prevent the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, from regrouping amid a suffocating siege in the area. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.
The onslaught was the latest episode in a brutal Israeli war against Gaza since a Hamas attack last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
More than 43,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 101,000 injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.