Israeli airstrikes in northern and central Gaza have led to the deaths of at least 87 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, according to health authorities in the enclave.
This brings the death toll in Gaza to over 44,000 since the conflict began in 2023.
The Director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya reported that 65 people were killed overnight in northern Gaza.
The casualties included individuals struck while gathered at a site targeted by the Israeli military.
Speaking to CNN on Thursday morning, Abu Safiya revealed that approximately 200 people were at the location during the airstrikes.
“The hospital medical team retrieved 65 martyrs from under the rubble,” he said in an interview with Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV. He described the dire conditions, noting that rescue efforts were hampered by a lack of equipment and trained teams, forcing medical staff to use their hands to recover bodies. Abu Safiya issued a stark warning: “The hospital will turn into a mass grave if urgent intervention from international organizations does not occur and medical supplies are not brought in.”
The facility also faces a critical shortage of ambulances, further complicating rescue operations.
In a separate airstrike on Wednesday in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood near Gaza City, at least 22 individuals, including 10 children, were killed when a family home was hit.
Director General of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Muneer Alboursh, confirmed the toll in a statement on Thursday.
Gaza’s civil defense teams are continuing their search for survivors and casualties beneath the debris, warning that the death toll is likely to rise.
Since the escalation of hostilities in Gaza’s northern regions, at least 44,056 people have died and over 104,000 have been injured, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
The intensified offensive has left medical facilities and rescue teams overwhelmed, with many hospitals warning of catastrophic consequences without international aid.
In a parallel development, Israel launched airstrikes targeting the southern suburb of Beirut early Thursday, focusing on the Hezbollah stronghold of Haret Hreik.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the strikes destroyed several buildings and were accompanied by low-altitude flights of drones.
The Israeli military’s spokesperson to Arabic media, Avichay Adraee,, shared warnings on social media platform X, identifying three buildings in Haret Hreik and seven in Tyre as potential targets. Residents were urged to evacuate.
The strikes coincide with ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, mediated by US envoy Amos Hochstein.
Hochstein, who arrived in Israel on Wednesday, expressed cautious optimism during a visit to Lebanon earlier in the week, stating, “A ceasefire deal is within our grasp,” but adding that the decision rests with the involved parties.
These developments highlight the intensifying violence in the region and the increasingly dire humanitarian situation on the ground.
