Israel accused of targeting women and children after dozens killed in Gaza bombing

At least 84 people remain missing after residential building hit in Nuseirat refugee camp

Palestinians make their way through the dust and rubble after the Israeli air strike on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza. Reuters

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Gaza authorities on Friday accused Israel of deliberately targeting women and children after at least 33 Palestinians were killed in overnight air strikes on a building sheltering displaced people in Nuseirat refugee camp.

The government's media office said the Israeli military was "fully aware" the residential block was housing "dozens of civilians, including children, women and displaced persons".

“This constitutes a crime against humanity and a violation of international law,” a statement said.

At least 84 others are missing after the air strikes late on Thursday, with many presumed trapped under the rubble of the building, the office said.

“Civil defence teams rushed to the scene immediately but the scale of destruction was overwhelming," Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told The National. “The majority of the bodies recovered were women and children who had no reason to be targeted in such a horrific manner.”

Israel had not commented on the strikes as of Friday afternoon but has previously said it is targeting Hamas militants it accuses of plotting attacks on Israelis.

Mr Bassal said darkness had hindered rescue operations severely. Civil defence teams were unable to perform their duties properly due to a lack of fuel and equipment, and had been forced to clear debris with their bare hands, he added.

"A large number of wounded and deceased were pulled from the rubble, but others remain trapped and efforts are ongoing to retrieve them," Mr Bassal said.

A Palestinian man looks stunned at the scale of destruction at the site of the Israeli strike on Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza on Friday. Reuters

Moumen Sheikh Ali, 34, who lost some family members in the attack, told The National the area hit had been classified by Israel as safe and not posing any threat to the Israeli military.

The victims "were all civilians, with no organisational affiliations”, Mr Moumen said. “These were simple people, lying in their beds, waiting to sleep. They had done nothing to deserve dying like this. There’s no justification for this except Israeli criminality and a thirst for Palestinian blood."

Ruhi Zaqout, 28, a displaced Palestinian living two houses from the site, recounted the bombing to The National. "Suddenly everything turned into rubble and ash that rained down on people, killing and injuring them,” he said. “I was injured but thank God it was minor."

The most heavily damaged house in the residential block belonged to the Sheikh Ali family, he said.

“They are all civilians, uninvolved in anything, with no weapons or resistance,” Mr Zaqout added. "In fact, they lived next to a civilian building – the post office – and posed no threat to Israel.

“The bombing was terrifying ... everyone was screaming."