Gaza’s civil defense agency reported on Wednesday that an overnight Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza resulted in the deaths of at least 22 individuals, including women and children. Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the agency, described the incident as a massacre committed by the Israeli military after it bombed a house belonging to the Abu al-Tarabish family near Kamal Adwan hospital. The airstrike occurred around midnight, with an Israeli jet reportedly firing three missiles, completely destroying the three-storey structure.
More than 50 people were residing in the house at the time of the strike, and many remained trapped under the rubble. Witness Jaber Alian, 30, recounted the chaos, stating, “Rescuers were unable to evacuate the martyrs or the wounded until this morning.” Bassal noted that several other bombings targeted locations across northern Gaza during the night.
The Israeli military confirmed that it conducted a strike in the Jabalia area near Kamal Adwan hospital on Tuesday night but stated that media reports on the number of casualties were inaccurate and did not reflect their information. The military further indicated that it is continuing to investigate the incident, without providing its own casualty figures.
The Israeli military has been conducting an extensive operation in northern Gaza for several weeks, focusing particularly on Jabalia, claiming to target areas where Hamas militants had been regrouping. In a separate incident on Wednesday morning, at least seven additional casualties occurred in central Gaza when an Israeli warplane struck the Al-Bayoumi family’s home in Nuseirat refugee camp.
Additionally, the Israeli military reported the interception of two projectiles that crossed from central Gaza into Israel on Wednesday. The current conflict escalated after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year. According to an AFP tally based on official figures, this attack resulted in the deaths of 1,208 individuals, predominantly civilians, which includes hostages taken by militants during the assault.
As of now, militants have abducted 251 hostages, with 96 still being held in Gaza, including 34 individuals whom the Israeli military has classified as deceased. In retaliation, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of at least 44,805 individuals, the majority of whom are reported to be civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry, which the UN considers to be reliable.
