At least 31 Palestinians were killed and many others were prompted to flee following Israeli attacks on residential buildings in Gaza City on Sunday, Gazan health authorities said, as Israel’s tanks pushed further into the densely populated city.
Nearly two years since the war began, Israel describes Gaza City as the last bastion of Hamas and the military has been demolishing housing blocks it says were being used by the militant group since launching its ground assault in the city this month.
A pregnant woman and her two children were among those killed on Sunday, medics said. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the deaths, issuing a statement saying its forces had killed “numerous” militants.
Relatives sifted through the rubble of one of the apartment buildings that was hit in Gaza City, trying to salvage their belongings.
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“The mother, the boy, the girl, and the baby in her womb - we found them all gone,” said Mosallam Al-Hadad, the dead woman’s father-in-law. He also said his son had been seriously injured in the strike.
“(He) was in a critical condition. We took him to the hospital, and his leg was amputated,” Mr Hadad told Reuters.
Israel said on Saturday its forces had expanded their operations in the Gaza City area over the past few days, killing 30 militants and locating weapons.
On Sunday, witnesses said Israeli tanks were advancing towards the west through Tel Al-Hawa, a southeastern suburb.
The Israeli military estimates that more than 450,000 people have left the city since the start of September. Hamas disputes this, saying just under 300,000 have left and that about 900,000 people remain.
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In southern Israel, air raid sirens sounded when Gaza militants fired two rockets across the border, one of which was intercepted and the other fell in an open field, the military said. No casualties were reported.
Israel’s Gaza City offensive has drawn rebuke abroad, prompting some of Israel’s Western allies to announce they will formally recognise a Palestinian state ahead of the annual leaders’ gathering at the UN General Assembly this week.
The offensive has also alarmed families of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Twenty of those 48 captives are thought to still be alive.
Thousands rallied on Saturday night outside prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem calling on him to make a deal that will end the war and bring the hostages home.
[ Israeli strikes kill at least 34 in Gaza City, say health officialsOpens in new window ]
The October 7th, 2023 attacks killed 1,200 people and 251 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s two-year-long campaign has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gazan health authorities, and has spread famine, demolished most buildings and displaced most of the territory’s population - in many cases multiple times. - Reuters
