150 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza

At least 150 people were killed and injured in an Israeli strike on Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza reported on Thursday, said Xinhua.

In a brief statement, the Civil Defense said that the Israeli army bombed "Block 7" in the Al-Hawaja area of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, leading to casualties.

The Civil Defense and medical services are facing significant difficulty in moving the dead and injured, as the Israeli army has disrupted their operations in northern Gaza, according to the statement.

Local residents described the situation to Xinhua as "extremely dire," noting that the bodies of those killed still lie in the streets or under the rubble of houses following the sudden heavy Israeli bombing.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army regarding the strike.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 42,847, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Thursday.