An Israeli airstrike on Beit Lahiya, a town in northern Gaza, has resulted in scores of casualties, with the Hamas media office reporting at least 73 people killed. The strike targeted multiple houses and a multi-story residential building on Saturday, according to local doctors and officials. Rescue operations are ongoing, hampered by the second consecutive day of a telecommunications blackout, which has limited the ability of medics to respond effectively.
Medway Abbas, a senior health ministry official, confirmed that the death toll reported by Hamas is accurate, while the Israeli military has contested the figures, describing them as exaggerated and inconsistent with their data on the munitions used. The military claimed the strike was aimed at a Hamas military target and suggested the casualties might be lower.
The escalation comes amid a broader Israeli military campaign across Gaza, where earlier on Saturday, strikes killed 35 people across various locations. Residents and medics report that the situation is dire, particularly in the besieged northern regions. Israeli forces have encircled Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s historic refugee camps, deploying tanks and tightening their grip on neighboring towns such as Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, while also issuing evacuation orders to civilians.
The conflict has exacerbated a severe humanitarian crisis. Hospitals in northern Gaza are struggling with critical shortages of medical supplies, overwhelmed by the high number of casualties. Medics are being forced to make difficult decisions about which patients to prioritize for treatment, with some dying due to the lack of timely medical care. Health officials reported that Israeli forces have restricted access to hospitals, preventing the entry of essential medical and food supplies, and disregarded their refusal to evacuate critically ill patients under military orders.
Elsewhere, airstrikes continued to inflict casualties. In central Gaza, an Israeli attack on a house in the Al-Maghazi camp killed 11 people, while another strike on Nuseirat camp resulted in four more deaths. The bombardment extended to the south, with five individuals killed in Khan Younis and Rafah, while seven people were reported dead in the Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza.
In a further escalation, Israeli planes dropped leaflets over southern Gaza, depicting the dead Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar with the message, “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza,” echoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements. The leaflets suggested that Palestinians who lay down their weapons and release hostages could “leave and live in peace.” Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces on Wednesday, was linked to the planning of the October 7 attack on Israeli communities, which left approximately 1,200 dead and saw 253 people taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
Since the start of the conflict, the devastation in Gaza has been extensive. Health officials estimate that over 42,500 Palestinians have been killed, with thousands more believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings. The intensifying Israeli offensive, coupled with the siege and bombardment, has brought the humanitarian situation in Gaza to a breaking point, with no end to the violence in sight.
