Gaza: Israel kills 14 Palestinians, including children, in Eid Al-Fitr airstrikes

Israel bombed apartment buildings in central Gaza overnight on Tuesday, killing 14 members of the same family, as Eid al-Fitr was marked.

The air strikes targeted both Jabalia and Nuseirat, killing 14 members of the Abu Youssef family, according to Gaza authorities.

Gaza's government media office described the attack in Nuseirat as a "massacre" and said the Israeli army was continuing its war of "genocide and ethnic cleansing" by bombing homes and civilians.

The media office decried the airstrikes against the family, saying the typically joyful celebration of Eid has now been tainted with sadness, grief and pain. 

The Palestinian ministry of health added that 122 Palestinians were killed and 56 wounded in Gaza in the last 24 hours. 

Palestinians in Gaza have faced a subdued Ramadan and Eid amid the intense bombardment which has caused living conditions to collapse and pushed the population to the brink of famine.

The health system is severely overwhelmed and the majority of the 2.3 million population are living in tents and dependent on aid handouts after being forcibly displaced from their homes.

Gaza's Civil Defence on Wednesday said its team was attending the aftermath of an airstrike on a house in Jabalia camp in north Gaza.

It said there were a number of deaths and injuries following the attack on the house of the Asalia family on Al-Sika street in East Jabalia.

The crews were largely unable to recover the bodies due to a lack of appropriate machinery and equipment to remove the rubble.

Earlier in Ramadan, overnight strikes on a house in Nuseirat also killed 36 members of the Tabatibi family as they were preparing their evening meal, AFP reported.

"It’s difficult to celebrate with full heart when every Muslim around the globe is acutely aware that a fellow 2.2 million humans will not have the option of food or water this Eid, let alone celebrations."

-- Omar Shabana

Read 🔗 https://t.co/ZFk6leta2M pic.twitter.com/9IU7zZyJKu

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) April 10, 2024

Israel's military withdrew from southern Gaza on Sunday after months of battles in Khan Younis, leaving behind a decimated city, locals said.

Ninety bodies have so far been found by emergency workers, the civil defence said on Tuesday.

The New Arab's Gaza correspondent said that the situation is "unimaginable" and that the city is no longer liveable.

Many of the city's residents were forced into displacement camps in Rafah in the south, with the hope of returning to their homes.

Israel's government has promised to invade the southern border city of Rafah – the only city not yet invaded – despite growing international concerns over the conduct of Israel’s offensive.

Most of the population have been forced into the border city which is now hosting five times its pre-war population.

UN and international aid agencies have warned that a ground invasion would have disastrous consequences.

Nearly 400,000 people lived in Khan Younis and its environs before 7 October. Much of the area is now in ruins after at least four months of bombardment by Israel's air force and artillery.

Soon after the Israeli army said its troops were pulling out, Palestinians began to… pic.twitter.com/BBlIxomPzM

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) April 10, 2024

In a change of tune, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he did not agree with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach and that the war on Gaza was "over the top".

"I think what he's doing is a mistake. I don't agree with his approach," Biden said in comments to Univision, a US Spanish-language TV network.

Israel has been losing favour amongst traditional allies as the death toll continues to rise and a siege on the enclave creates a humanitarian disaster.

The killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers last week, six of whom were foreign nationals, triggered an international outcry in Israel.