At least 96 Palestinians killed by Israeli bombing across Gaza -- Hamas

GAZA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least 96 Palestinians were killed by Israeli bombing in the northern and central Gaza Strip in the past hours, the Hamas-run Gaza media office said on Sunday.

The Israeli army bombed several residential buildings in Beit Lahia on Saturday morning, killing more than 72 people. Additional bombings in the Nuseirat and al-Bureij camps killed 24 people, the media office said in a statement.

The attacks also left about 60 people wounded and more than 15 missing, it added.

The targeted buildings housed dozens of displaced civilians, most of whom were children and women, the office said.

The Israeli army has not commented on these reports.

Earlier on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said that its air force had struck over 160 militant targets belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The strikes are part of Israel's ongoing large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza, launched in response to a Hamas rampage on Oct. 7, 2023. The attack killed around 1,200 Israelis and led to 250 individuals being taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 43,799, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Saturday.