50 children among 84 people killed in ‘brutal massacres’ by Israel in Gaza

Two Israeli attacks on residential buildings in northern Gaza have killed 84 Palestinians, including more than 50 children, Gaza’s Government Media Office has said.

The Government Media Office said on Friday that the two multistory buildings were sheltering at least 170 people when they were targeted by Israeli occupation forces.

It said 84 people were “massacred” as no civil defense crews, medical services or other relief services were available in the area amid an Israeli siege and continuing bombardment.

“These crimes come as the occupation army targets civilian families in residential buildings populated by civilians and displaced individuals, consisting of several stories,” the statement said.

This coincides with the absence of civil defense teams, medical services, or relief teams, as they have been targeted and rendered non-operational by the ‘Israeli’ occupation for almost a month. These crimes also coincide with the collapse of the health system in northern Gaza, with hospitals destroyed and out of service,” it added.

The buildings belonged to the Shalayel and al-Ghandour families, it said.

The Gaza government called on the international community to uphold its obligation to protect civilians, adding that it holds Israel and its allies – the US, France, the UK and Germany – responsible for the ongoing “genocide” in Gaza.

“We call on the international community and international and UN organizations to urgently and immediately fulfill their humanitarian role and duty to protect civilians and safeguard hospitals and health institutions,” the statement said.

“We also reiterate our demand for the entry of surgical medical teams and ambulances and the restoration of civil defense operations to save lives, as its targeting constitutes a crime against humanity, which the international community regrettably remains silent about,” it added.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it was evacuating patients from al-Awda and Indonesian hospitals in northern Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli siege.

The Palestinian group evacuated 21 patients in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross, it said on X.

The UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee earlier warned that the situation in northern Gaza is “apocalyptic.”

It said that its entire population is “at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence.”

So far, the occupying regime has killed at least 43,259 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 101,827 others in the besieged Gaza, according to the latest official tally.

In its brutal aggression, Israel has deliberately targeted buildings and tents sheltering displaced Palestinians and committed war crimes.