Israel bombs Beit Lahiya in Gaza again, a day after killing 93 people in one attack | Israeli-Palestinian Conflict News

The Israeli army has again bombed residential buildings in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, killing at least 19 Palestinians, as civilians in the besieged northern city searched for survivors in the aftermath of an earlier Israeli attack that killed nearly 100 people.

The latest Israeli bombardment, late Tuesday evening, hit several homes belonging to the Al Louh family in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.

The attack came less than a day after the Israeli army bombed a five-story building belonging to the Abu Nasr family in Beit Lahiya, killing at least 93 people and wounding dozens of others. The Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 25 children were among the dead.

The Israeli military said it was “investigating reports of the attack,” while its main ally, the United States, said the attack was “heinous.”

The United Nations Human Rights Office said it was “shocked” by the bombing, calling it one of the deadliest single attacks in Gaza in almost three months.

The escalating air and ground assault on Beit Lahiya comes as Israel’s siege of northern Gaza enters its 26th day.

The Israeli army said it launched the offensive to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping in the north of the area, despite saying earlier this year that it had wiped out the Palestinian group – which rules Gaza – in the area .

According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, more than 100,000 people are trapped in the north without food and water, and dozens are buried in the rubble of bombed homes, with rescuers unable to reach them due to Israel’s continued attacks and sieges.

Footage of the Israeli attack on the Abu Nasr family home on Monday, obtained by Al Jazeera, shows a Palestinian man covered in dust trapped under concrete and steel bars while others tried to take apart walls with pickaxes to to free him. Several bodies wrapped in blankets lay on the ground outside the building.

‘Martyrs everywhere’

Ismail Ouaida, a witness, said the Israeli attack came without warning.

“As you can see, there are martyrs everywhere,” he said, pointing to two dead bodies under the rubble. “(There are) bodies hanging over the walls.”

Another Palestinian woman, in footage verified by Al Jazeera, said she lost several members of her family.

“Both my sons and their entire families were murdered. My unmarried daughter was also killed,” the woman said, crying. ‘And my other daughter with her five children – all murdered. What evil have they done? What did those innocent people do to be slaughtered like this?”

Rabie al-Shandagly, a 30-year-old survivor, told the AFP news agency that most of the victims were women and children.

“The explosion happened at night and at first I thought it was shelling, but when I went outside after dawn I saw people pulling bodies, limbs and wounded people from under the rubble,” he said. “People are trying to save the injured, but there are no hospitals or proper medical care.”

At Kamal Adwan Hospital, the main medical facility serving the population of northern Gaza, dozens of injured people arrived seeking treatment, but the hospital’s director said there were no staff to treat the patients as Israeli forces closed the most of their employees had been arrested during a raid. last week.

“Kamal Adwan Hospital and the entire area are a war zone. The hospital has run out of resources; no medical supplies; no medical staff. This is because many of our specialist doctors and surgeons have been detained,” said Dr Hussam Abu Safiya.

He described chaotic scenes with patients and injured people “scattered everywhere” on the hospital floor, and called for urgent international intervention.

US and UN express their concerns

In Washington DC, a spokesperson for the US State Department expressed concern.

“This was a horrific incident with a horrific outcome,” Matthew Miller told reporters. “We have contacted the government of Israel to ask what happened here.”

In Geneva, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office called for a swift, transparent and detailed investigation.

“It is imperative that Israel allows emergency responders access to such locations in northern Gaza. In some cases, rescuers themselves have been attacked while trying to reach the injured,” said Jeremy Laurence.

The UN peace envoy for the Middle East also condemned the attack.

“This horrific strike is yet another in a deadly series of recent mass casualty incidents, in addition to a massive displacement campaign, in northern Gaza, raising serious concerns about violations of international humanitarian law,” Tor Wennesland said in a statement.

“I unequivocally condemn the widespread killing and wounding of civilians in Gaza, and the endless displacement of the population in Gaza.”

According to Palestinian officials, Israel’s years-long war has so far killed at least 43,061 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children.