Gaza civil defence says Israeli strikes have killed 25 in territory's north

A Palestinian youth walks past an installation composed of stuffed animals set up on a pile of debris, in Khan Yunis in the south Gaza Strip on December 10. Photo / AFP

• Israeli strikes in northern Gaza killed 25 people, including women and children, according to Gaza’s civil defence.
• The strikes targeted a building belonging to the Al-Kahlut family; 16 bodies have been identified.
• The conflict began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, leading to a prolonged war.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes in the north of the Palestinian territory have killed 25 people, including women and children.

“At 8pm [7am Wednesday NZT] last night, Israeli strikes targeted a multi-storey building belonging to the Al-Kahlut family, killing 25 people. Sixteen bodies have been identified, while others remain trapped under the rubble,” civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding five women and five children were among the dead.

The Israeli army did not comment on the strike.

Bassal said “residents, without adequate support, are attempting to rescue those still buried”.

The north of the Gaza Strip has been the focus of an intense Israeli military operation for more than two months, which the army says is intended to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping there.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

Palestinians gathered among the damaged buildings and vehicles after the Israeli attacks on a house belonging to the Abu Sible family in al-Mawasi area, in the west of Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 23. Photo / Getty Images

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,758 people, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry that is considered reliable by the UN.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday local time that at least 44,786 people have been killed in more than 14 months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

The toll includes 28 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 106,188 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.