At least 87 reported dead or missing after overnight strikes in Beit Lahiya, as U.S. investigates leaked intelligence on Israel’s military actions against Iran.
GAZA: Israeli airstrikes targeting multiple residential buildings in the northern Gaza Strip overnight have reportedly left at least 87 individuals dead or unaccounted for, according to the Health Ministry of the territory. Additionally, the strikes in Beit Lahiya resulted in injuries to 40 others, highlighting the ongoing violence in a region already devastated by conflict.
These attacks come amid a U.S. investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive documents that detail Israel’s military strategies related to a potential strike against Iran. U.S. officials indicate that the documents, deemed top secret and attributed to the Geospatial Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, reveal Israel’s preparation for military action following Iran’s ballistic missile assault on October 1.
As tensions rise, the U.S. is advocating for Israel to pursue a cease-fire in Gaza after the recent assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. However, both Israel and Hamas have shown little interest in resuming negotiations, which stalled in August.
Iran’s support for Hamas and Hezbollah has further complicated the situation, with escalating hostilities leading to a full-scale war in Lebanon last month. In response, Israeli ground troops were deployed to Lebanon at the beginning of October.
The Israeli military has yet to comment on the latest strikes in Beit Lahiya, but has confirmed ongoing operations across Gaza, involving both aerial bombardments and ground assaults.
Among the casualties are two parents and their four children, along with another family consisting of a woman, her son, daughter-in-law, and their four children. Eyewitness accounts describe the devastation, with a multi-story building and several nearby homes reduced to rubble.
Mounir al-Bursh, the Health Ministry’s director general, emphasized the dire state of the healthcare system in northern Gaza as it grapples with an influx of wounded individuals. Reports indicate that internet connectivity in the region was disrupted late Saturday, complicating efforts to obtain accurate information about the situation.
Israeli forces have conducted a significant military operation in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp for the past two weeks, targeting Hamas militants believed to have regrouped in the area. The north of Gaza has faced the brunt of destruction since the onset of the conflict, with Israeli forces encircling the region following a deadly Hamas attack on Israel last year.
Israel has ordered the evacuation of the entire northern Gaza population, including Gaza City, since the war’s early days, reiterating these instructions recently. While many residents fled, approximately 400,000 individuals are still believed to be in the north, and those who initially relocated have been barred from returning.