‘When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are to possess and drives out the many nations larger and stronger than you, and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. Do not save alive anything that breathes, for you are a people holy to the Lord your God who has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession…’ –Book of Deuteronomy
An Israeli air strike targeting a residential building in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, on Monday evening wiped out two entire families from the Al-Kahlout household, comprising 25 individuals, most of them women and children.
This strike and others early on Tuesday killed at least 34 Palestinians and left many others wounded, Gaza health authorities said.
Mahmoud Basal, the Palestinian Civil Defence spokesman, told Middle East Eye that the attack in Beit Hanoun occurred around 8pm on Monday.
‘The Israeli occupation forces targeted a multi-story house in Beit Hanoun, this house belongs to the Kahlout family,’ said Basal.
‘So far 16 people have been identified and they were taken from under the rubble. The rest remain under the rubble,’ said Basal adding that ‘until now civilians are trying to take them out.’
The Civil Defence reported that most of the victims were from the same family. Images shared online depicted the bodies being laid to rest in a single mass grave in the town.
‘Northern Gaza, including Beit Lahia, Jabalia, and Beit Hanoun, is experiencing unprecedented devastation due to ongoing Israeli air strikes, which have left hundreds dead and countless others trapped under rubble,’ said Basal.
‘With the communications blackout, little information is making its way out of these areas, and the full extent of the destruction remains largely unknown,’ he added.
‘Many incidents are going unreported’ warned Basal, especially in the northern part of Gaza, where messaging, internet, and imaging equipment are scarce.
‘The Kahlout family is no stranger to these massacres. The area has already witnessed numerous attacks, with the loss of thousands of lives.
‘According to reports, more than 3,700 people have died, with many buried under rubble or left on the streets. Some are still missing, and the fate of many others is unknown,’ reported Basal.
‘The ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure, including the health system, are part of a broader Israeli strategy to exhaust the remaining services in Gaza.
‘The situation has become dire, with food and medical supplies scarce and the population facing systematic displacement and starvation,’ Basal told MEE.
‘Apart from the massacres is the ongoing systematic starvation and displacement of the population in a systematic manner by the Israeli occupation. And because of this, we are facing a clearly and obvious massacre that the occupation carried out on the Kahlout family,’ Basal added.
Israeli strikes on the rest of Gaza
Another air strike targeted a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least seven people and wounding several others, according to medics and emergency responders. Meanwhile, two more people were killed in an air strike on Rafah in the south of the enclave.
Health officials have warned of the dire impact of electricity and resource shortages caused by Israel’s blockade on northern Gaza now exceeding two months.
Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza faces life-threatening challenges for its 112 patients.
Hospital director Hussam Abu Safiyya reported the facility’s electricity, water, and oxygen supplies were cut off, and shelling had inflicted structural damage. Amongst the patients, six are in critical condition, while 14 are children.
In another incident, Mohammed Khalifa, a young footballer from Gaza’s Al-Hilal club, was killed during Israeli strikes on Al-Nuseirat camp, according to local reports.
Deadliest year for journalists
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) released a report on Tuesday calling 2024 a ‘particularly bloody year’ with 104 journalists killed worldwide, more than half of them in the Gaza Strip alone.
IFJ secretary-general Anthony Bellanger described 2024 as ‘one of the worst years’ for media professionals. He condemned the ‘massacre taking place in Palestine before the eyes of the entire world’.
The Qatari foreign ministry stated on Tuesday that discussions for a potential ceasefire in Gaza are ongoing but emphasised that it is premature to announce any progress.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have intensified their operations in northern Gaza.
Footage captured from a distance shows dozens of men, stripped to their underwear, lined up near the Awani al-Harthani UN school, where they were reportedly sheltering before being detained by occupation forces as part of the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Beit Lahia.