Israeli strike kills nearly 100 in northern Gaza

Photo: Abdel Kareem Hana Associated Press Palestinians mourn the deaths of their relatives killed Tuesday in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

Published at 9:30 AM Updated at 5:08 PM

• Middle East

Nearly 100 people including women and children were killed in an Israeli strike on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip, local rescue workers said, with the United States deploring a “horrific” raid in the Palestinian territory devastated by a year of war.

As the besieged Gaza Strip reels from a humanitarian disaster, the Israeli parliament’s passage of a law banning the activities of UNRWA, a UN agency considered the “backbone” of humanitarian aid in Gaza, has sparked international outcry.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza was launched in response to an October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The following day, and in support of Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon opened a front against neighboring Israel before cross-border fire escalated into open warfare in September.

In Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, the Civil Defense announced the death of 93 Palestinians in a strike on “the Abu Nasr family residence,” a five-story family building, claiming that dozens of people were still under the rubble.

The Israeli military said it was looking into “information about an incident” in Beit Lahia.

“Horrible strike with horrible result”

“The building collapsed during the night, surprising residents in their sleep,” neighbor Rabie al-Chandagly, 30, told AFP. “Most of the victims are women and children. People are trying to save the injured, but there are no hospitals or adequate medical care.” »

Due to the lack of a stretcher, the bloodied bodies extracted from the gigantic pile of cinder blocks and concrete were transported on blankets, noted an AFP photographer.

Photo: Agence France-Presse Palestinians carry the bodies of victims of the Israeli strike carried out Tuesday in Beit Lahia.

Israel’s main military supporter, the United States, said it had “contacted” its ally to demand accountability after this “horrible strike with horrible results.”

The Israeli army has been leading an offensive in northern Gaza since October 6, particularly in Jabalia, to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping there, according to it.

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It said Tuesday it had killed “around 40 terrorists” in Jabalia, announced the death of four soldiers in northern Gaza and continued its bombings in the territory.

The October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data, including hostages killed or killed in captivity. Of the 251 people kidnapped during the attack, 97 remain hostages in Gaza, 34 of whom have been declared dead by the Israeli army. In retaliation, Israel has vowed to wipe out the Palestinian movement that seized power in Gaza in 2007 and launched an offensive that has killed at least 43,061 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to data from Hamas’s health ministry.

Without UNRWA, “devastating consequences”

While Israel has accused employees of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, of participating in the October 7 attack, its parliament adopted a text on Monday that bans its activities “on Israeli territory,” including in East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel.

A second text prohibits Israeli officials from working with UNRWA, which is expected to significantly disrupt the agency’s activities.

Israel strictly controls all international aid flows into Gaza, which is vital for the 2.4 million people in the territory threatened by famine according to the UN.

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Several European capitals and UN organisations have denounced the ban and the US State Department has reiterated its opposition to the law. UN chief António Guterres said he feared “devastating consequences” for the Palestinians.

“We are living in the most dangerous moment in the Middle East in decades,” said UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland, as wars in Lebanon, Gaza and a cycle of attacks and retaliation between Israel and Iran raise fears of a conflagration.

“Countdown” for new Hezbollah leader

Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has again threatened to hit Iran “hard” if it retaliates for Israel’s October 26 attack against military targets in Iran.

A sworn enemy of Israel, Iran militarily supports Hamas and Hezbollah, whose leaders have been killed in recent months in Israeli operations.

On Tuesday, Naim Qassem was appointed head of Hezbollah to replace Hassan Nasrallah, killed on September 27 in an Israeli strike near Beirut.

But Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant immediately threatened him with the same fate as his predecessor, saying: “the countdown has begun.”

In the opposing camp, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian assured that the appointment of Naim Qassem “will strengthen the resistance” against Israel.

In Lebanon, The Israeli army has been carrying out intense daily strikes since September 23, mainly on Hezbollah strongholds. It launched a ground offensive in the South on September 30.

On Tuesday, at least five people were killed in Israeli raids near Saida (south), according to the authorities.

Israel claims to want to neutralize Hezbollah in southern Lebanon to allow the return to northern Israel of 60,000 residents displaced by rockets fired from Lebanon since the start of the war in Gaza.

More than 1,750 people have been killed since September 23 in Lebanon, according to an AFP count based on official data.