Palestinian medical officials say an Israeli attack in northern Gaza killed 34 people

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip – An Israeli attack on a five-story building where displaced Palestinians were sheltering in the northern Gaza Strip killed at least 34 people on Tuesday, more than half of them women and children, the Gaza Ministry of Defense said. Public health.

Another 20 people were injured in the attack in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, near the Israeli border, according to the ministry’s emergency services.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army, which has been waging a large-scale operation in northern Gaza for more than three weeks targeting what they say are groups of Hamas militants who have regrouped there.

The dead included a mother and her five children, some of them adults, and a second mother with her six children, according to an initial list of victims provided by the emergency service.

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital, said it was overwhelmed by the wave of injuries caused by the strike. Israeli forces raided the medical facility this weekend and arrested dozens of medics.

The Israeli military has repeatedly attacked shelters for displaced people in recent months, saying it has carried out precise attacks on Palestinian militants and tried not to harm civilians. Women and children have often been killed in the strikes.

The military said it has arrested dozens of Hamas militants in the attack on Kamal Adwan, the latest in a series of attacks on hospitals since the start of the war.

Israel’s latest major operation in northern Gaza, targeting the Jabaliya refugee camp, has killed hundreds of people and driven tens of thousands from their homes in a new wave of mass displacement, more than a year into the war in the small coastal region.

Israel also sharply curtailed aid to the north this month, prompting a warning from the United States that failure to facilitate larger aid efforts could lead to a reduction in military aid.

Palestinians fear Israel is implementing a plan proposed by a group of former generals, who suggested the north’s civilian population should be ordered to evacuate, aid supplies cut off and anyone left there labeled as a militant considered.

The military has denied it is implementing such a plan, while the government has not clearly said whether it is implementing it in whole or in part.

On Monday, the Israeli parliament passed two laws that could prevent the UN agency for Palestinian refugees – the largest aid provider in Gaza – from operating in the Palestinian territories. It was the culmination of a long-running campaign against UNRWA, which Israel claims has been infiltrated by Hamas, allegations the organization denies.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250. There are still about 100 hostages in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. About 90% of the 2.3 million residents have been displaced from their homes, often several times.

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Magdy reported from Cairo.