In a new massacre, 73 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in Beit Lahia, located in the northern Gaza Strip, as Israeli occupation forces continue their brutal assault. The area is under a suffocating siege, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents.
This attack marks the second massacre in northern Gaza within 24 hours. On the previous day, Israeli airstrikes killed 33 Palestinians, including 21 women, in the Jabalia refugee camp.
The massacre in Beit Lahia comes on the 15th day of Israel’s genocidal war and siege on northern Gaza. Earlier, Israel cut off communication and internet access in the area, imposing a blackout to conceal the ongoing atrocities.
According to Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, Israeli forces targeted a residential block in Beit Lahia with intense firepower, resulting in 73 martyrs, numerous injuries, and missing persons. Basal accused the occupation of deliberately destroying homes and infrastructure to forcibly displace Palestinians.
He added that Jabalia had been declared a military zone by Israel, where anyone, including medical teams, is targeted. Civilians seeking food or attempting to escape the area are being killed.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, Director General of Gaza’s Government Media Office, confirmed that the Beit Lahia massacre is part of a larger Israeli plan to forcibly expel the population of northern Gaza. He noted that Israel has committed more than 3,000 massacres since the beginning of its aggression on Gaza on October 7, 2023, resulting in over 17,000 child and 11,000 female casualties.
Al-Thawabta emphasized that Israel is conducting a clear ethnic cleansing campaign and a full-scale genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Hamas condemned the ongoing attacks, stating, “Arab silence and international inaction have emboldened this fascist enemy to commit more crimes and massacres to empty the northern Gaza Strip of its inhabitants.” The movement called on Arab and Islamic nations, the United Nations, and international bodies to take immediate action to stop what they described as a “genocide by new Nazis” with significant implications for the region’s security.