Palestinians congregated at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Jabalia, located in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 10, 2024, as reported by Reuters.
On Sunday, Gaza's civil defence agency disclosed that 30 individuals, including 13 children, perished in Israeli strikes on two houses within the Palestinian territory's northern region. The initial strike, which occurred early on Sunday, targeted a house in Jabalia, northern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 'at least 25' people, including 13 children, and injuring over 30, according to civil defence. Since October 6, the Israeli military has been conducting an intense air and ground assault on areas of northern Gaza, such as Jabalia, asserting that their objective is to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping there.
A subsequent strike in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City claimed five lives, with several others still unaccounted for post-strike, as per civil defence. 'A number of civilians remain trapped under the rubble,' the agency further stated. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military acknowledged it was 'investigating the reports' of the strikes.
The conflict in Gaza was ignited by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which led to 1,206 fatalities, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP compilation of Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has resulted in 43,552 deaths in Gaza, the majority of whom were civilians, as per figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, deemed reliable by the United Nations.
On Friday, the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) condemned the high number of civilian casualties in Israel's war in Gaza, with women and children making up nearly 70% of the verified fatalities. 'Civilians in Gaza have borne the brunt of the attacks, including through the initial 'complete siege' of Gaza by Israeli forces,' the OHCHR stated. 'Conduct by Israeli forces has led to unprecedented levels of killings, death, injury, starvation, illness, and disease.' Israel's mission to the UN in Geneva 'categorically' rejected the report, criticizing 'the inherent obsession of OHCHR with the demonization of Israel.'
In early November, the heads of UN agencies described northern Gaza as 'under siege' and deprived of 'basic aid and life-saving supplies.' Israel's primary military supporter, the United States, had on October 15 warned that it could withhold some of its billions of dollars in military assistance unless aid delivery to the Gaza Strip improved within 30 days. As the deadline approaches, there has been little indication of improved conditions, with a UN-backed assessment on Saturday warning of an imminent famine in northern Gaza. Aid shipments permitted to enter the Gaza Strip are now at their lowest since October 2023, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report. The Famine Review Committee alerted of 'an imminent and substantial likelihood of famine occurring, due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip.' The Israeli military questioned the report's credibility.
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