Israeli strike in northern Gaza killed 60, mostly women and children: Palestinian medical officials

The Palestinian ministry's emergency service said another 20 people were wounded in the strike in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, near the Israeli border.

Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip): Gaza's Health Ministry said an Israeli strike on a five-story building where displaced Palestinians were sheltering in northern Gaza killed at least 60 people on Tuesday, more than half of them women and children. The ministry's emergency service said another 20 people were wounded in the strike in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, near the Israeli border.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

On Monday, the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said around 1,00,000 people were marooned in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun without medical or food supplies. India TV could not verify the number independently. The emergency service said its operations had come to a halt because of the three-week Israeli assault into northern Gaza, where Israel had said it wiped out Hamas combat forces earlier in the year-long war.

Israel said the raid was aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping.

Gaza's war has kindled wider conflict in the Middle East, raising concern about global oil supplies, with Israel bombing Lebanon and sending forces into its south to disable Iran-backed Hezbollah, a Hamas ally. At least 16 people were killed in Israeli strikes on three villages in eastern Lebanon's city of Baalbek, the Lebanese health ministry said on Monday. The conflict also triggered rare direct clashes between regional arch-foes Israel and Iran. Israeli warplanes pounded Iranian missile production sites during the weekend in retaliation for an October 1 Iranian missile volley at Israel.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said Tehran would "use all available tools" to respond.

The Israeli military says its forces operate in keeping with international law and accuses militants of hiding fighters and weapons in hospitals and schools, which Hamas denies. The north was the first part of Gaza hammered by Israel's ground offensive after Hamas' cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Intensive bombing largely flattened towns. Nevertheless, Hamas-led militants continue to attack Israeli forces in hit-and-run operations.

Hamas' 2023 attack killed 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 hostages being taken into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The death toll from Israel's retaliatory air and ground onslaught in Gaza has reached 43,020, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday.

(With inputs from agency)

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