More than 100 killed in Israeli attacks on Beit Lahia in northern Gaza

Twenty-five children were among victims of dawn air strikes, Gaza Health Ministry says

Palestinians mourn over the bodies of relatives after the Israeli strikes on Beit Lahia in northern Gaza. AFP

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More than 100 people were killed on Tuesday in Israeli attacks on Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, Palestinian health officials said.

Air strikes hit a five-storey residential building housing about 150 displaced people early in the morning, killing at least 93, Palestinian media reported. Twenty-five children were among the dead, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

At least another 10 people were killed on Tuesday evening when the Israeli military shelled three homes in the town, with dozens more injured in the attack, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Israeli forces began a siege of northern Gaza more than three weeks ago, blocking the entry of aid and medical assistance. Israel has said its goal is to eradicate the operational infrastructure of Hamas.

Many of those injured in the morning attack were taken to the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital, said Dr Marwan Al Hams, director of field hospitals at the Health Ministry.

“Anyone with medical skills or first aid training is urged to head to Kamal Adwan Hospital to help save the injured,” Dr Al Hams said.

Last week, Israeli troops raided the hospital, causing extensive damage and detaining several medical staff. The building was hit with prolonged artillery shelling on Tuesday morning, Wafa reported.

It added that dozens of people were still trapped under rubble, with civil defence and ambulance crews unable to reach them.

“There have been appeals and distress calls for civil defence personnel to save the lives of the wounded,” civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told The National. “But the civil defence system has been completely disabled due to the ongoing Israeli aggression in northern Gaza and the arrest of several of its personnel.”

There was no immediate comment from Israel's military. Hamas issued a statement condemning the attacks. “The northern part of the Gaza Strip is being subjected to a campaign of ethnic cleansing and systematic displacement, in full view of the world,” the group said.

Israeli strikes were also reported in Gaza city on Tuesday, with five people killed and more than 20 injured during two raids on a crowded market in Al Daraj neighbourhood, Wafa reported. Several people were wounded in an attack on a home sheltering a displaced family. Israeli forces also reportedly burnt down a UN-run school in the northern Jabalia refugee camp.

Two deaths were reported in southern Gaza when an Israeli strike hit the Khirbet Al Adas area north of Rafah city. Overall, at least 115 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Tuesday, Wafa quoted medical sources as saying.

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The World Food Programme warned on Tuesday that the siege on northern Gaza increased the threat of famine in the enclave. The UN agency said it had about 94,000 tonnes of food in Egypt and Jordan that could feed one million people for four months, but this could not be moved into Gaza because of border restrictions and safety fears.

"Restrictions on humanitarian aid coming into Gaza are severe," the WFP said. Only 5,000 tonnes of supplies had entered the enclave this month, it added.

The need for Israeli authorities to issue approval for lorries and drivers to enter Gaza, as well as delays at checkpoints in the enclave, were exacerbating the crisis, the WFP said.