At least 73 killed in Israeli strike in northern Gaza, medics say

Israeli strikes person killed astatine slightest 73 people, including women and children, successful the metropolis of Beit Lahia successful bluish Gaza, the strip's Hamas-run authorities say.

Dozens of others are injured and galore are inactive trapped nether the rubble aft the bombing precocious connected Saturday night, officials added.

Israel said it was checking reports of casualties but said the figures published by Hamas authorities were "exaggerated" and did not lucifer accusation held by its military.

The latest strikes travel conscionable hours aft reports of "heavy gunfire" from Israeli troops astatine the Indonesian Hospital successful the city.

Rescue efforts successful Beit Lahia are presently hampered owed to communications and net services being severed successful the region, Gaza wellness officials said.

The Hamas-run authorities media bureau said the bombing deed "crowded" residential areas, and that 73 radical had been killed - a fig besides reported by Gaza's civilian defence agency. The BBC cannot independently verify the figures.

According to Palestinian quality bureau Wafa, an full residential analyzable was destroyed successful the strikes.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC it had struck a "Hamas panic target" and was "doing everything imaginable to debar causing harm to civilians".

It said the casualties fixed by the Hamas bureau were "exaggerated" and said specified sources had "proven to beryllium sorely unreliable successful erstwhile incidents."

Israel began a renewed subject violative successful bluish Gaza successful aboriginal October, saying it is trying to forestall Hamas from regrouping successful the area.

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

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

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

An Israeli minister, Amichai Chikli, told the BBC Israel had "blockaded" parts of bluish Gaza.

"We allowed the civilian colonisation to flight into the harmless zone, and we prevented supplies to participate the blockade region," helium told the Newshour programme - referring to the IDF having warned radical successful the northbound to evacuate.

He insisted this was "legal according to the planetary law".

Israel has repeatedly denied it is preventing humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza but the US has told it to boost entree oregon hazard having immoderate American subject assistance chopped off.

Meanwhile, Israel carried retired astatine slightest a twelve aerial strikes connected Beirut connected Saturday, successful the heaviest onslaught the Lebanese superior has witnessed successful much than a week.

Damage and casualties were inactive being assessed, but astatine slightest 1 multi-storey gathering successful the city's confederate suburbs had been wholly destroyed.

The Israeli subject said it had targeted Hezbollah's weapons retention facilities and its quality office bid centre successful Dahieh.

Hezbollah besides continued to occurrence rockets into bluish Israel, with the Israeli subject saying astir 200 projectiles - which usually means rockets - were fired connected Saturday.

One idiosyncratic was killed by shrapnel portion successful his car, Israel's aesculapian work Magen David Adom said.

Also connected Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an effort had been made connected his beingness pursuing reports of a drone attack connected his backstage residence.

"The effort by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate maine and my woman contiguous was a sedate mistake," helium wrote successful a station connected X.

Mr Netanyahu and his woman were not astatine location astatine the time, and nary 1 was injured.

Iran says Hezbollah was down the reported attack, Iranian authorities quality bureau IRNA reported. Hezbollah - which is funded and equipped by Iran - has not commented connected the reports.

At slightest 42,519 radical person been killed and tens of thousands injured successful Gaza since the warfare began past October, the Hamas-run authorities say.

The warfare began aft Hamas attacked Israel connected 7 October 2023, leaving astir 1,200 radical dormant and 251 taken to Gaza arsenic hostages. Israel vowed to destruct Hamas successful response.

Earlier this week, the sidesplitting of Hamas person Yahya Sinwar successful Gaza raised immoderate hopes successful immoderate quarters of an extremity to the conflict.

But the group's lawman person said Hamas would lone beryllium strengthened, and that Israeli hostages would not beryllium returned until Israel withdrew from Gaza.

• 'I was shocked': Gaza antheral says Hamas Leader was killed successful his house

Iran's ultimate leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, besides said connected Saturday that Sinwar's decease would not halt the "Axis of Resistance" - the determination web of Iran-backed, heavy equipped militias that reason Israel.

"Hamas is live and volition stay alive," Khamenei's connection added.