At least nine people have been killed and several other wounds in an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia, Northern Gaza, the government media office of the enclave said on Saturday, which made it the most fatal incident since a high fire entered into force in January.
The Israeli army said the strike had killed six “terrorists” who were operating and then tried to recover a drone.
Among them there was a person involved in the October 7 attack led by Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
The Gaza Ministry of Health confirmed that nine people had been killed.
Several people, some with critical injuries, were transported to the Indonesian hospital of Gaza, said the ministry.
Of those killed, three were part of a media team that documented humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza, according to the Palestinian journalist protection center.
Hamas accused the Israeli army in a statement to commit “a horrible massacre in Beit Lahia, claiming the life of nine martyrs who work for a beneficial organization involved in humanitarian efforts in shelters and displacement centers.”
“The orientation of unarmed civilians, especially those who provide humanitarian aid to displaced and homeless people, constitutes a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law,” added Ismail Thawabta, general director of the Hamas Government Media Office.
The FDI said on Saturday that six “terrorists” had been killed in the area of Beit Lahia, since they were “operating a drone that represented a threat to the FDI troops.”
“Several terrorists were eliminated in the strike, including terrorists who operated under the cover of journalists,” he said in a statement.
An eyewitness, Mahmoud Louay Atiya, told CNN that he had to turn off a fire caused by the strike with water bottles.
“I helped two people: one that I took out was already dead, and the other was injured but still alive. I managed to get multiple bodies. There were no ambulances or fire trucks,” he said.
Another man said that his 17 -year -old son was killed in the attack, despite not being affiliated “with resistance or hamas.”
“I was working on one of the fields, and they told me that I had been killed. I don’t know how it happened,” he told CNN.
Israeli military operations within Gaza have continued since the fire began; In response, IDF have said, threats to their troops or rapes of Hamas, but there has been a decrease in casualties.
The deadly strike on Saturday occurs shortly after the United States presented a new proposal that would ensure the release of a handful of living hostages held by Hamas in exchange for an extension of a month of Alto El Alto El Fuego de Israel-Famas.
The protests stand out in Israel when phase one of the high fire agreement comes to an end
According to the United States proposal, Israel would also raise its humanitarian aid block to Gaza, which has been ongoing for almost two weeks, said a source familiar with negotiations.
Hamas said Friday that he had responded to a proposal to extend the high fire, “which included its approval” to free the American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander and the bodies of four dual nationals were hostage in Gaza.
