By Victoria Kim, Hiba Yazbek and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad
An Israeli strike on a residential building in the northern Gaza Strip killed dozens of people early Tuesday, the territory’s emergency service said, in the latest attack to cause mass casualties in the area since Israel renewed its offensive against Hamas in the north.
The Palestinian Civil Defense, the emergency service, said at least 55 people were killed in the strike in the town of Beit Lahia. Gaza’s health ministry said at least 93 people were dead, including 25 children. The Israeli military said in a statement that it was “aware of reports that civilians were harmed” in the town and was looking into the details.
Israeli forces renewed their offensive in northern Gaza this month, saying they were trying to stem a regrouping of Hamas, the militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the war in the Gaza Strip.
The strike comes days after another Israeli attack on a residential block in Beit Lahia that left dozens of people killed or wounded, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense. The Israeli military confirmed the strike on Sunday, saying that the air force had “conducted a precise strike” targeting Hamas fighters.
An overnight Israeli airstrike hit another residential building in the town on Oct. 20, killing dozens of people, Palestinian officials and emergency workers said.
Roughly 400,000 people remain in northern Gaza, according to the United Nations, and many have been trapped in their ruined neighborhoods.
Here’s what else to know:
— New Hezbollah leader: The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah named Naim Qassem, the group’s longtime deputy, as its new secretary-general on Tuesday, replacing Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in Israeli airstrikes south of Beirut last month.
— Strikes in Lebanon: Israeli airstrikes on Monday killed at least 60 people in the Bekaa Valley, in eastern Lebanon, Lebanese officials said, in what appeared to be the deadliest barrage of strikes in the area since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated last month.
— Israel and UNRWA: Israel’s parliament passed two laws on Monday that could threaten the work of UNRWA, the main U.N. agency that aids Palestinians, by barring its operations in the country. In doing so, Israel defied calls from the Biden administration, which has warned that the legislation could prompt an even greater humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
— Israel vs. Iran: Israel and Iran, which have traded major military attacks in recent weeks, exchanged threats and denunciations at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday. Iran’s ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, told the Council that “Iran reserves its inherent right to respond at a time of its choosing to this act of aggression.”
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