At least 110 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes in northern Gaza’s Jabalia area, the Hamas-run health ministry says, as fighting continues across the Palestinian territory.
Fifty people were reportedly killed and dozens trapped under rubble when three homes in Jabalia refugee camp were hit.
Videos showed the bodies of small children lined up at a medical centre.
The Israeli military said it had been conducting operations against Hamas “terrorist infrastructure” in Jabalia.
It came as the US defence secretary arrived in Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli leaders that were expected to focus on how to lower the intensity of the fighting to protect civilians.
The UN Security Council was also expected to vote later on a resolution calling for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities”, amid reports of discussions on a potential new deal to secure the release of more Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Gaza has been devastated by 10 weeks of war triggered by an unprecedented attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on 7 October, in which at least 1,200 people – mostly civilians – were killed and about 240 taken hostage.
Since then, more than 19,400 people have been killed in Gaza, about 70% of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Witnesses and local journalists said Israeli missiles struck a block of houses in Jabalia refugee camp where three families had been living on Sunday night.
On Monday morning, Palestinian media cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s director general as saying that at least 50 people had been killed when the homes of the al-Bursh and Alwan families were bombed. He added that it brought to 110 the death toll in the wider Jabalia area since Sunday. —BBC
