Israeli strikes kill 20 in north Gaza, where Palestinians say they’ve been hungry for weeks

Palestinian officials said Tuesday that an Israeli bombing in northern Gaza killed at least 20 people, mostly women and children. The attack happened as Palestinians ran away from Israel. Some people reported that they had not eaten much because they had been unable to access help for weeks in the most isolated and severely damaged parts of the area.

Israel has been attacking the northernmost part of Gaza for weeks, claiming to be targeting Hamas militants who have gathered there.

The UN says that Israel hasn’t let any food or other goods into the area north of Gaza City since the attack started, even though there are still tens of thousands of people there. That got the Biden administration in trouble, and they said that if more aid isn’t allowed in, U.S. rules might force them to cut back on military aid to Israel.

The attack happened late Monday night and hit a house in the town of Beit Lahiya, which is close to the border with Israel. Hossam Abu Safiya, the head of the recently raided and barely functioning Kamal Adwan Hospital, confirmed that they took the victims there.

The Israeli military claimed to have attacked a militant’s weapon storage location and to have taken “many steps to reduce the risk of harming civilians.”