At least 87 killed in strike on northern Gaza, officials say, as UN warns 'nowhere is safe'

Gaza's Hamas-run wellness ministry has said astatine slightest 87 group were killed and much than 40 injured successful Saturday's Israeli aerial onslaught connected nan metropolis of Beit Lahia successful nan northbound of nan Palestinian enclave.

The ministry said a number of group were still nether nan rubble aft a residential area was hit.

Israel said it was checking reports of casualties but added that earlier - little - figures published by Hamas were "exaggerated". In caller weeks, nan Israel subject has been carrying retired aggravated bombardment of bluish Gaza, saying it wanted to forestall Hamas fighters from regrouping there.

A elder UN charismatic warned that nan "nightmare successful Gaza is intensifying" and nan warfare "must extremity now".

The UN's bid process co-ordinator, Tor Wennesland, said that "nowhere is safe successful Gaza".

In a statement, Tor Wennesland said he condemned nan continuing attacks connected civilians.

"This warfare must end, nan hostages held by Hamas must beryllium freed, nan displacement of Palestinians must cease, and civilians must beryllium protected wherever they are. Humanitarian assistance must beryllium delivered unimpeded," he said.

In a connection connected Sunday, Gaza's Hamas-run wellness ministry revised its decease toll from 73 to 87 aft nan Israeli onslaught connected Beit Lahia.

The earlier casualty figures were provided by Hamas precocious connected Saturday.

The ministry besides said that ambulance crews were incapable to scope nan tract of nan Israeli strike.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described nan onslaught arsenic a "precision" onslaught connected a "Hamas panic target". It told nan BBC it was "doing everything imaginable to debar causing harm to civilians".

Dr Eid Sabbah, Kamal Adwan Hospital's head of nursing, said nan Israeli onslaught successful Beit Lahia had wholly destroyed respective buildings, pinch "more than four, 5 residential blocks... razed to nan ground".

The strikes targeted an full residential square, Dr Sabbah said, successful betwixt Abu Jidian roundabout and Al Qassam mosque.

Dr Sabbah added that dozens of group were killed and galore were wounded “some of whom reached nan hospital, immoderate of whom stay nether nan rubble”.

He urged for an extremity to nan "siege" connected hospitals successful bluish Gaza and "for life to return to normal... earlier it’s excessively late, earlier our federation is exterminated”.

Several images - including nan 1 beneath - person since emerged connected societal media showing nan curen of nan injured from Beit Lahia astatine nan Kamal Adwan Hospital.

The images person been verified by nan BBC arsenic being from nan hospital.

Israel confirmed nan decease of a elder service serviceman successful bluish Gaza's Jabalia area connected Sunday.

Col Ahsan Daksa died aft leaving his vessel and being struck by an explosive, said IDF spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari.

Three different officers were injured, 1 seriously, during nan aforesaid incident.

Israel began a renewed subject violative successful bluish Gaza successful early October, saying it was trying to forestall Hamas from regrouping successful nan area.

In particular, Israeli forces person surrounded and bombarded nan densely-populated Jabalia area, which includes an municipality exile campy - with astatine slightest 33 group reported killed successful a onslaught precocious connected Friday.

Humanitarian groups person warned that virtually nary assistance has entered nan area successful nan past fewer weeks. Israel's ain statistic show that assistance deliveries to Gaza arsenic a full person collapsed erstwhile compared pinch nan aforesaid play successful September.

On Saturday, nan UN's apical humanitarian official, Joyce Msuya, said that Palestinians successful bluish Gaza are enduring "unspeakable horrors" and called for these "atrocities" to stop.

Israel has many times denied it is preventing humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza - but connected Tuesday the US told it to boost entree wrong 30 days aliases consequence having immoderate American subject assistance trim off.

At slightest 42,603 ​people person been killed and 99,795 injured successful Gaza since nan warfare began past October, nan Hamas-run authorities say.

The warfare began aft Hamas attacked Israel connected 7 October 2023, leaving astir 1,200 group dormant and 251 taken to Gaza arsenic hostages. Israel vowed to destruct Hamas successful response, launching a crushed violative successful nan enclave.

Elsewhere, Israel continued its aerial strikes against nan Lebanese group Hezbollah successful nan confederate suburbs of Beirut connected Sunday.

In a statement, nan IDF said: "Earlier this morning, nan IAF [Israel's aerial force] conducted an intelligence-based onslaught connected a bid centre of Hezbollah's intelligence office and an underground weapons shop successful Beirut".

It added that respective steps were taken to "reduce nan anticipation of civilian casualties", including "issuing beforehand warnings to residents".

The IDF besides reported that astir 160 rockets were fired from Lebanon into bluish Israel.

Meanwhile, nan Lebanese service said 3 of it soldiers were killed aft a subject conveyance was deed by an Israeli aerial onslaught successful Nabatieh, confederate Lebanon.

Israel has not yet commented.

Lebanon's service has historically stayed retired of cross-border clashes betwixt Israel and Hezbollah - but a number of its troops person been killed successful Israeli attacks since fighting escalated past month.

Hezbollah - a powerful militant group successful Lebanon - says it has been firing connected Israeli positions successful solidarity pinch Hamas successful Gaza.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran.