An Israeli airstrike on a five-story residential building in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, has resulted in the deaths of at least 34 people, according to the local civil defense agency.
The agency, as reported by AFP, stated that many of the victims were women and children, with dozens still feared trapped beneath the rubble. Seven others sustained injuries in the strike.
The Israeli military confirmed it had targeted militant positions in northern Gaza, including Beit Lahia, as part of efforts to disrupt Hamas operations.
In central Gaza, three separate strikes on refugee camps claimed 15 lives, while a drone attack in Rafah, located in the southern region, killed five more people, the civil defense agency reported.
“The chances of rescuing more wounded are decreasing because of the continuous shooting and artillery shelling,” civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.
All that is left of the residential building in Beit Lahia is a pile of rubble, with broken concrete and jagged shards of twisted metal sticking out from the ruins.
One man, whose family lived in the flattened building, but was staying elsewhere, said, quoted by AFP: “We all thought that death was near.”
“The whole area was shaking.”
The Israeli military said its offensive in northern Gaza – which began in Jabalia and expanded into Beit Lahia – consisted of several strikes overnight on what it called “terrorist targets in the area”.
It added in a statement that “there have been continuous efforts to evacuate the civilian population from the active war zone”.
But many local residents do not want to leave their homes. Mr Bassel said six families had lived in the razed building in Beit Lahia.
One woman in the area vented her frustration to BBC News.
“What have we done to you people? What harm have we caused you? What wrong have we committed? We are staying in our homes. Why are you driving us out?”
Last week, at least 25 people, including 13 children, were killed in an airstrike on a house in Jabalia, while another five lives were lost in Gaza City.
Israel’s ongoing ground offensive in northern Gaza has displaced up to 130,000 people over the past five weeks.
According to the United Nations, approximately 75,000 individuals remain trapped in towns such as Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun, facing severe shortages of water and food.
A report from Human Rights Watch this week accused Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity by orchestrating the mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.
Over the past year, about 1.9 million people—90% of Gaza’s population—have been forced to flee their homes, with 79% of the territory under evacuation orders issued by Israel, according to UN data.
Israel’s campaign to dismantle Hamas began in response to the group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which left approximately 1,200 people dead and 251 others taken hostage.
Since the offensive began, more than 43,700 people in Gaza have lost their lives, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.