Gaza civil defence says Israeli strike kills 17

Gaza's civil defence agency on Tuesday (October 8, 2024) said an Israeli strike killed at least 17 people at a refugee camp in the centre of the territory, as Israel's military targets Hamas positions.

"The civil defence teams recovered 17 martyrs, including children, and several others who were wounded from the three-story home of the Abdul Hadi family, which was bombed by a missile from an (Israeli) warplane in Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said in a statement.

Mr. Bassal said the bodies of those killed and the wounded were taken to Al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat camp and to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the city of Deir el-Balah.

Medics at Al-Awda confirmed the toll.

Mr. Bassal earlier said that several air strikes rocked central and northern Gaza since the early hours of Tuesday (October 8, 2024).

Witnesses and rescuers also said Israeli military operations continued in Jabaliya, where troops launched a ground assault in recent days.

Over the past day, Israeli forces killed "approximately 20 terrorists" in air strikes in Jabaliya, the military said in a statement, adding troops also dismantled a weapons storage facility in the area.

On Sunday (October 6, 2024), the military said troops had encircled Jabaliya in response to indications Hamas was regrouping there despite a year of strikes and fierce fighting.

In recent months, troops have returned to several areas across the Palestinian territory where they had previously conducted operations against Hamas, only to find militants rebuilding.

Many residents of Jabaliya fled from their homes or tents as Israeli warplanes bombarded the area.

Iman Abu Najm, 33, left her home as the latest Israeli attack began in Jabaliya.

"The shelling was relentless, children were screaming, people were panicking in the streets, and gunfire was targeting houses and people," she told AFP, describing the chaos that unfolded during the air strikes.

She said many people were "trapped in their homes, unable to leave as intense gunfire continued".

In a separate statement, the military announced it had killed three Hamas militants who had participated in the October 7 attack.

They were killed in an air strike on September 30 that struck a school in Daraj Tuffah area.

Published - October 08, 2024 11:14 pm IST