Dozens killed as Israel strikes north Gaza, medics say

Nidal al-Mughrabi |

Medics say an Israeli strike hit tents near a hospital in in Deir al-Balah, killing three people.
Medics say an Israeli strike hit tents near a hospital in in Deir al-Balah, killing three people.

Dozens of people have been killed and wounded in an Israeli strike on a house in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics say.

Footage circulating on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed about a dozen bodies wrapped in blankets and laid on the ground at a hospital.

Residents said the building that was hit at dawn on Sunday had housed at least 30 people.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA and Hamas media put the number of people killed at 32.

There was no immediate confirmation of the tally by the territory’s health ministry.

The Civil Emergency Service says its operations have been halted by an ongoing Israeli raid into two towns and a refugee camp in northern Gaza that began on October 5.

It could not provide a figure for those killed in the attack.

Israel says it sent forces into Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun in the north of the enclave to fight Hamas militants waging attacks from there and to prevent them from regrouping.

Displaced Palestinians
Efforts to conclude a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have stalled as the two sides trade blame. (AP PHOTO)

It says its troops have killed hundreds of militants in those areas since the new offensive began.

In Gaza City, an Israeli air strike on a house in the Sabra neighbourhood on Sunday killed Wael Al-Khour, an official at the Welfare Ministry, and seven other members of his family including his wife and children, medics and relatives said.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports on the strike in Jabalia and in the Sabra neighbourhood.

Efforts to conclude a ceasefire between the two warring sides have so far stalled, with Israel and Hamas trading blame.

Hamas wants an agreement that ends the war and a prisoner-for-hostages deal, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war will only stop once Hamas is eradicated.

Officials in Qatar
Qatar, alongside the US and Egypt, has played a major role in fruitless Gaza ceasefire talks. (EPA PHOTO)

Qatar, which has been seeking to negotiate a ceasefire along with Egypt and the US, has told Hamas and Israel it will stall its efforts until both sides show “willingness and seriousness” to resume talks, its foreign ministry said on Saturday.

The three nations have been working for months on fruitless talks between the warring sides in Gaza and any disengagement from that process could further complicate efforts to reach a deal.

“Qatar notified the parties 10 days ago during the last attempts to reach an agreement that it would stall its efforts to mediate between Hamas and Israel if an agreement was not reached in the round,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said.

“Qatar will resume those efforts with its partners when the parties show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war.”

There was no official response from Hamas or Israel.

Qatar has hosted Hamas’ political leaders since 2012 as part of an agreement with the US.

The latest round of talks in mid-October failed to produce a deal, with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal. Israel has previously rejected some proposals for longer truces.

Disagreements have centred on the long-term future of Hamas and Israel’s presence in Gaza.

The war erupted when Hamas gunmen attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing about 1200 people and seizing another 253 hostages, by Israeli tallies.

Israel’s military campaign has levelled much of Gaza and killed about 43,500 Palestinians, Palestinian health officials say.

Reuters