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Death toll rising for Israeli strike on Gaza's Maghazi camp

Death toll now 'at least 47' for Israeli bombing of Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp
MENA
2 min read
05 November, 2023
Health officials warned the death toll for the Maghazi refugee camp bombing could rise further as it was 'no longer possible' to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble.
Cameraman Mohammed Alaloul (pictured, centre) lost four children and three siblings in the Maghazi camp strike [Getty]

At least 47 people were killed in an Israeli attack on Maghazi refugee camp overnight on Saturday, with health officials warning that the death toll could rise further as some of the wounded lie trapped beneath the rubble.

Gaza's health ministry said in the immediate aftermath of the bombing that "more than 30" of those killed had been brought to a hospital in Gaza. 

Varying death tolls have since been reported, with official Palestinian news outlet WAFA reporting that as many as 51 people were killed in the strike on the refugee camp in central Gaza. Al Jazeera reported Sunday morning that the toll stood at 47.

Medical teams were unable to help many of those injured in the strike, Mohammed Zaqout, director general of hospitals in the Gaza Strip told Sky News Arabia, amid intense Israeli bombing.

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"Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza received more than 100 victims during the night, including both fatalities and injured, most of whom were women and children, and the number is increasing," Zaqout told Sky News Arabia.

"Rescuing the wounded is no longer possible," he said.

Hamas said in a statement posted on Telegram that Israel had "directly" bombed citizens' homes, adding that most of the deaths consisted of women and children.

Among those killed in the bombing were several family members of Palestinian journalist Mohammed Alaloul.

Alaloul, who works for Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency told AFP that his 14-year-old son Ahmed and four-year-old son Qais were killed in the attack, along with his brother. His wife, mother, and two other children were injured.

An Israeli military spokesperson said they were looking into whether Israeli forces had been operating in the area at the time of the bombing.

Almost 10,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began a brutal bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip, launched after a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas killed more than 1,400 people.

Israel has not spared refugee camps in its apparently indiscriminate strikes, with the Jabalia refugee camp hit three times since the bombings began on 7 October.