At least 109 Palestinians, including children, were killed and dozens of others wounded, after Israeli warplanes targeted a residential building sheltering displaced families in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza strip early Tuesday, October 29.
The deadly attack took place amid a strict siege that the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have imposed on areas within the northern Gaza strip including Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun for around one-month. According to the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service, 100,000 Palestinians have been trapped in the mentioned areas, where IOF have banned food and medical supplies from entering. During the siege, the IOF has also intensified its attacks killing more than 1,100 people, most of them children and women, and prevented civil defense teams from rescuing people trapped under rubble.
Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated that the Secretary-General was shocked by “the harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction” in the northern Gaza strip. Dujarric highlighted the plight, which tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have experienced during the last few weeks in the besieged areas. He pointed out that civilians were trapped under the rubble, while sick and injured people have been left without life-saving health care. Furthermore, families have reportedly been separated, lacking food and shelter, and many people were detained by IOF.
According to Dujarric, the Secretary-General warned that “the widespread devastation and deprivation resulting from Israel’s military operations in North Gaza, especially around Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, are making the conditions of life untenable for the Palestinian population there”.
The United States has provided Israel with the needed weapons of mass destruction since it started its aggression on Gaza, and expanded it into other parts of the region. However, the statements of US officials on Israeli crimes seek to evade responsibility.
The Spokesperson for the US Department of State Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday that the US asked Israel to explain the “horrifying” strike that claimed dozens of lives in northern Gaza, referring to Tuesday’s massacre in Beit Lahiya.
“This was a horrifying incident with a horrifying result”, Miller stated, indicating that two dozens of children were reportedly killed in the incident. Miller’s statement may be interpreted by analysts as an attempt to contain the outrage of the public regarding Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians, one week ahead of the US presidential elections.