An Israeli airstrike hit the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 25 Palestinians and injuring dozens, according to Palestinian medics.
This occurred as United States President Joe Biden’s national security team was in the region, pushing for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The strike targeted a multistory residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, marking the latest in a series of Israeli attacks that have killed at least 54 Palestinians since late Wednesday night.
Medics at Gaza’s remaining medical centers, including Al-Awda Hospital and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, reported receiving 25 bodies from the Nuseirat strike, with 40 people, mostly children, also wounded.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the attack. Israel’s objective remains to eliminate Hamas, the group responsible for the October 2023 assault on southern Israel that triggered the war.
Israel claims Hamas militants operate among Gaza’s civilian population.
Earlier this week, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with a vote of 158 in favor, 9 against, and 13 abstentions.
While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they reflect global opinion.
Photos from the Nuseirat scene showed a completely collapsed building, with people sifting through the wreckage, smoke rising from scattered belongings. Rescuers were still searching for survivors trapped beneath the rubble.
These strikes occurred as Palestinian medics were still recovering from the casualties of earlier bombings.
Another attack in Nuseirat killed at least 28 people earlier in the day, including seven children and a woman.
Another strike targeted local aid committee members, killing 15 men, including eight near Rafah and seven in Khan Younis.
Israel claims it allows adequate humanitarian aid, though U.N. agencies report that restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in Gaza complicate relief efforts. The U.N. also warns of a looming famine in the territory.
In Gaza’s northern regions, Awda Hospital reported that Dr. Saeed Jouda, an orthopedic surgeon, was killed Thursday morning by an armed drone while traveling to treat patients.
The North has been a focal point of Israeli attacks since October, with little aid reaching the area.
Meanwhile, the U.S. National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, was in Israel attempting to revive stalled ceasefire negotiations.
Sullivan expressed optimism, pointing to a ceasefire in Lebanon as a possible precedent for a deal in Gaza.
He is set to visit Qatar and Egypt as part of U.S. efforts to broker peace before Donald Trump’s inauguration.
In November, the U.S. vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, citing concerns over hostages held by Hamas.
The conflict began when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 250 hostages.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 44,800 Palestinians, many of them women and children. The Israeli military claims to have killed over 17,000 militants, although evidence has not been provided.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, faces an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes related to the Gaza conflict, with the International Criminal Court finding reasonable grounds to charge him with crimes against humanity and other war crimes.
