Israel’s Health Ministry said at least 87 people were killed or missing in Israeli military offensives in the northern Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday.
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The ministry said another 40 people were wounded in the attack on the town of Beit Lahya, which was the first target of an Israeli ground invasion about a year ago.
There was no immediate comment on the Israeli attack, saying: “We continue to operate across Gaza, both with airstrikes and ground operations.”
For the past two weeks, Israel has been carrying out a large-scale operation in Jabaliya refugee camp, also in northern Gaza. The military announced that it had launched an operation against Hamas militants who had regrouped in the area.
The north has already suffered the worst destruction in the war and has been besieged by Israeli forces since late last year following deadly Hamas attacks on Israel.
Israel ordered all residents of the northern third of Gaza, including Gaza City, to evacuate south in the first weeks of the war, and repeated that order earlier this month.
Most of the population was evacuated last year, but around 400,000 people are thought to remain in the north.
Palestinians who fled the north at the start of the war are not allowed to return.