Israel carried out a deadly attack on a five-storey residential building in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, on Tuesday after they saw an “observer” on the roof with binoculars, an Israeli military official told the BBC. Observe the Israeli army.
The Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza stated that the attack caused the building to collapse and more than 90 Palestinians were killed or missing under the rubble of the building, including 25 children.
The military official said it was not a planned attack and troops were not aware the building was being used as a shelter for displaced people.
They also said there were discrepancies between reported casualties and what the military observed.
This strike triggered Strong response from Israel’s closest ally, the United Stateswhich described it as a “shocking incident with horrific consequences” and demanded an explanation.
After the military official spoke to reporters on Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel “has not done enough to get us the answers we demand.”
“They have said to us what they have said publicly, which is that they are looking into it,” he added.
Israel does not allow the BBC and other international media to enter Gaza for independent reporting, making it difficult to verify facts on the ground. Therefore, we can only rely on video clips and eyewitness testimonies to obtain information.
Video posted on social media hours after the strike showed bodies wrapped in blankets and body parts collected at the strike site.
Umm Malik Abu Nasr told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Today program on Tuesday that the attack destroyed her family’s home and she was one of the survivors rescued from the rubble.
“Around 00:30 or 01:00, Awda’s house next to us was bombed,” she said. “We rushed to help and receive them, but their daughter [died] In our home.
“At 4:00 in the morning, the multi-story house of Abu Nasr’s family collapsed on us. They [Israel forces] The house, which housed approximately 300 displaced people who had fled their homes, was bombed. These people tried to take refuge in our home. We receive them because they are just civilians and have nothing to do with the resistance [Palestinian armed groups]”.
“My husband and other young people are still under the rubble and have not been rescued yet,” she added. “My husband’s cousin and her five children are still under the rubble.”
The director of nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital said after last week’s Israeli attack that the hospital had only two doctors and limited nursing staff. Voicemail recorded on Tuesday The agency is said to have received the bodies of more than 25 people killed in the strike, while 77 others were trapped under the rubble.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya added that about 45 injured people, including children and women, were also taken to the hospital by horse-drawn carriages or people carrying them.
Tor Wenisland, the UN special envoy for Middle East peace, said it was “the latest in a series of recent deadly mass casualty incidents and mass displacement operations in northern Gaza, raising serious concerns about violations of humanitarian law.” .
Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed since the Israeli military launched a ground offensive on Beit Lahiya and neighboring Jabaliya and Beit Hanoun on October 6, saying it acted against Hamas militants of regrouping.
More than 70,000 residents have fled to Gaza City, but the United Nations estimates that about 100,000 people are still in dire conditions, with severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies.
The offensive also forced the closure of essential services, including medical facilities, firefighting, search and rescue, water wells and bakeries.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, and Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas.
Since then, more than 43,160 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
