Skip to main content

Gaza: Israel strike kills 70, dozens wounded in refugee camp

Israel strike kills 70 in refugee camp as Gaza healthcare near collapse
MENA
19 min read
24 December, 2023
At least 70 people have been killed in Israeli air raids that targeted residential buildings in a the refugee camp near Deir el-Balah city in central Gaza

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said at least 70 people have been killed in an Israeli air strike that late Sunday hit a number of houses in a refugee camp.

The ministry said the strike destroyed the houses in Al-Maghazi camp in the centre of the Palestinian territory. 

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said "the number of martyrs from the Al-Maghazi massacre has risen to 70 so far".

Israeli forces said it was "checking" the report.

Earlier Qudra said the strike destroyed a "residential block" and that the "toll is likely to rise" given the large number of families residing there.

In a separate incident, the ministry said 10 members of one family were killed in an Israeli strike on their house in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza. AFP was unable to verify the toll independently.

Meanwhile, The World Health Organization reported earlier that al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza is struggling to provide emergency care and surgical services due to a lack of fuel, power, medical supplies, and health workers, due to continuous Israeli attacks.

UNICEF said that water and sanitation services in Gaza are on the edge of collapse, posing a high risk of widespread disease outbreaks.