At least 42 people were killed in Israeli attacks on districts of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave on Saturday, according to the director of the Hamas-run government media office.
One Israeli strike on houses in Al-Shati, one of Gaza’s historic refugee camps, resulted in the death of 24 people, Ismail Al-Thawabta told Reuters. Another 18 Palestinians were killed in a strike on houses in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood.
The Israeli military released a brief statement: “A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck two Hamas military infrastructure sites in the area of Gaza City.” Further details are expected soon.
Hamas did not comment on the Israeli claim to have targeted its military infrastructure. Instead, it stated that the attacks were aimed at the civilian population and vowed that “the occupation and its Nazi leaders will pay the price for their violations against our people.”
Footage obtained by Reuters showed dozens of Palestinians rushing out to search for victims amid the destroyed houses, with wrecked homes and debris filling the streets of the Shati refugee camp.
Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The ongoing offensive has left Gaza in ruins, killing more than 37,400 people and leaving nearly the entire population homeless and destitute.
More than eight months into the war, Israel’s advance is now focused on the two last areas its forces have yet to seize: Rafah on Gaza’s southern edge and the area surrounding Deir al-Balah in the center. Residents reported Israeli tanks deepening their incursion into western and northern Rafah areas in recent days. On Saturday, Israeli forces bombed several areas from air and ground, forcing many families to leave northwards.
The Israeli military stated that forces continued “precise, intelligence-based” targeted operations in Rafah, killing many Palestinian gunmen and dismantling military infrastructure.
On Friday, the Gaza health ministry said at least 25 Palestinians were killed in Mawasi in western Rafah and 50 wounded when a tank shell hit a tent housing displaced families. The Israeli military said the incident was under review: “An initial inquiry conducted suggests that there is no indication that a strike was carried out by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) in the Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi.