Newborn baby, children, women among at least 37 killed in predawn attacks
Since dawn today there has been a staggering surge of air strikes on the southern part of the Gaza Strip where the Israeli Air Force has targeted at least 10 residential buildings that were packed with civilians in the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.
In the north, we have confirmation that another residential building has been destroyed completely, bringing the entire death toll of predawn attacks to at least 37 Palestinians, both in the north and the south of the Strip.
Among those victims who have been killed today were a newborn baby alongside children and women.
There has been a clear strategic approach that Israel has been using, which does not pass any sort of warning to civilians before striking the buildings that they are taking refuge in.
A man carries the body of a Palestinian child killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in Gaza City on March 19
Death toll in predawn attacks jumps ‘sharply’ to 71
The Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip have intensified, especially at dawn, when at least 11 residential buildings were flattened by the Israeli forces, particularly in the cities of Khan Younis, Rafah and Beit Lahiya.
We understand that the death toll has sharply increased to 71 Palestinians, including newborn babies, children, women and men who had been sleeping.
Family homes under fire in latest Israeli attacks on Gaza: Report
Many of the targets of the Israeli strikes were family homes, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reports.
The homes attacked included:
- the Abu Deeb family home in Bani Suheila, where seven people were killed.
- the Abu Daqqa family in Abasan al-Kabira, where eight people were killed.
- the al-Amour family home in al-Fukhari, where three people were killed.
- the Jabr family home in Mosbeh, near Rafah, where 10 people were killed.
- a home near Beit Lahiya, where seven people were killed.
Baby girl rescued from under rubble following deadly attack near Khan Younis
Al Jazeera Arabic reports that civil defence crews have rescued a baby girl from under the rubble of her family home in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, following an Israeli air attack.
The parents of the infant, named as Ella Osama Abu Daqqa, were among 16 people killed in the attack, according to the Palestinian Information Center.
Israeli tanks are also firing on the towns of Khirbet Khuza’a and Abasan al-Kabira, our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues report, citing Palestinian media.
It’s currently unclear if the two incidents are linked. We will bring you more information when we have it.
Translation: An attempt to rescue a number of children from the Abu Daqqa family home, which was targeted by the occupation last night, resulting in about 16 martyrs, east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.
