An Israeli air strike that hit a central Gaza refugee camp killed at least 70 Palestinians and Palestinian Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said that the death toll is likely to climb higher.
He added that what is happening at the Maghazi camp is a "massacre" that is being committed on a crowded residential square. On the other hand, the Israeli military said that it was reviewing the incident.
Israeli Air Strike in Central Gaza
In a statement, an Israeli army spokesperson said that despite the challenges that the Hamas militant group has posed, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is committed to international law. He added that this includes taking feasible steps to minimize harm to civilians.
Hamas also issued a statement calling the Israeli air strike a "horrific massacre" and said that it was a "new war crime," as per Reuters. More than a week ago, Palestinian media reported that at least 14 people died from strikes that hit two houses on Old Gaza Street in Jabalia and that dozens lost their lives in a strike that hit another home in the region.
The Israeli military said that its aircraft were targeting a building in Jabalia after its forces came under fire and after several Hamas militants were identified on the roof. It remains unclear whether or not the building was one of those reported to have been struck.
Military authorities also said that its forces killed militants who were hiding away in two schools in Gaza City and raided apartments in Khan Younis that were stocked with weapons. They were also said to have uncovered what was described as underground infrastructure that Hamas militants used, according to Inquirer.
Among the victims in the central Gaza air strike was a United Nations official identified as 56-year-old Isaam Al Mughrabi. He worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the last 30 years and was killed alongside his wife and children on Friday.
UN Worker Killed
UNDP administrator Achim Steiner released a statement saying that Isaam has worked with the UNDP through the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People for nearly three decades. He added that the loss of the worker and his family deeply affected them.
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also offered his condolences to Issam's family and colleagues. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said that "humanitarians should never be victims" and called for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza on Oct. 7, roughly 7,136 members of the United Nations have been killed. The international agency's secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, said on Friday that throughout the UN's history, they had never witnessed the death of their staff in such large numbers.
Guterres added that many of their workers had been forced out of their homes as he paid tribute to UN members who were working in Gaza. Issam's death comes as Israeli air strikes continue to kill hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, said Aljazeera.
