87 killed or missing in Gaza after Israeli strike
87 people have either been killed or are missing under the rubble following an Israeli strike on the Gazan town of Beit Lahiya on October 20th, according to the Arab News via Reuters.
Medics said the attack, which also injured 40 people, targeted a multi-floor building and damaged a number of houses nearby.
Palestinian health officials say the cutting-off of telecommunication and Internet for a second day has hampered rescue operations. 35 Palestinians were killed earlier in the day elsewhere in Gaza, according to the enclave’s health ministry.
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“This is a war of genocide and ethnic cleansing. The occupation has conducted a horrifying massacre in Beit Lahiya,” Hamas’ media office said.
Israel has also tightened its siege of Jabalia, according to residents and medics, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps. It has encircled the camp by sending tanks to the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and issuing evacuation orders.
Residents say Israeli forces besieged several shelters housing the displaced before storming them and detaining a number of men. Unverified footage shows dozens of Palestinian men sitting besides a tank, while others are lead awa to a gathering site by an Israeli soldier.
Residents and medics have also accused Israel of bombing houses and besieging hospitals, stopping the supply of food and medicine and forcing people to leave the refugee camp. Health workers say they refused to evacuate the hospital and leave patients, including those in critical condition, unattended.
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“Hospitals in northern Gaza suffer from stark shortages of medical supplies and manpower and are overwhelmed by the number of casualties,” said Hussam Abu Safiya. “We are now trying to decide who among the wounded we needed to attend to first, and several wounded died because we could not deal with them,” he added.
Reuters
