An Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip killed a family of eight, Palestinian medical officials said Sunday, as Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants and pushed for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from the territory’s north. Israel is also waging an air and ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and is expected to strike Iran in retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month, although it has not said when.
The attack in Gaza on Saturday night hit a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing the parents and their six children, who ranged in age from eight to 23, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. in nearby Deir al-Balah, where the bodies were taken. Seven other people were injured, including two women and a child who is in critical condition.
Pressure to evacuate northern Gaza
An Associated Press reporter counted the bodies and filmed the funeral prayers held at the hospital. More than a year after the start of the war with Hamas, Israel continues to strike what it says are militant targets in Gaza almost every day. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas and other armed groups because they operate in densely populated areas. The military rarely comments on individual attacks, which often kill women and children. In recent months, it has repeatedly attacked schools that are used as shelters by displaced people, accusing militants of hiding among them.
In northern Gaza, Israeli air and ground forces have been attacking Jabaliya, where the army says militants have regrouped. Over the past year, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to the built refugee camp, which dates back to the 1948 war around the creation of Israel, and other hard-hit areas.
Israel has ordered the complete evacuation of northern Gaza, including Gaza City. An estimated 400,000 people remain in the north after a mass evacuation ordered in the first weeks of the war. Palestinians fear that Israel intends to permanently depopulate the north to establish military bases or Jewish settlements there.
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Source: www.lavanguardia.com
