Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike has killed 20 people in northern Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian medical officials say an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip has killed at least 20 people, mostly women and children.

Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of a nearby hospital that sheltered the victims, said the strike late Monday hit a house in the town of Beit Lahiya, where several families were seeking shelter.

The dead included eight women and six children, according to a list provided by the Gaza Health Ministry emergency service.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Israel has been waging a major offensive in northern Gaza – already the most isolated and heavily destroyed part of the territory – for almost a month.

The country has ordered the complete evacuation of Beit Lahiya, the nearby city of Beit Hanoun and the Jabaliya urban refugee camp, and has allowed virtually no humanitarian aid into the area for more than a month.

Tens of thousands of people have fled to nearby Gaza City in the latest wave of displacement in the war, which began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

That attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 250 hostage. About 100 prisoners remain in Gaza, about a third of whom are believed to be dead.

The Israeli retaliatory offensive has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which makes no distinction between civilians and fighters in its toll but says more than half of the dead were women and children. About 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, often several times.

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