At least 13 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Nuseirat camp in central Gaza

<i>Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource</i><br/>At least 13 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on homes in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza

By CNN Newsource

Published July 20, 2024 4:28 AM

By Ibrahim Dahman, Alex Stambaugh and Benjamin Brown, CNN

(CNN) — At least 13 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on homes in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday, according to hospital officials and Gaza’s Civil Defense.

The toll came from two separate strikes in the camp, the officials said. In response to CNN’s question about the latest strikes, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: “Overnight, the IDF struck terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including terrorists and terrorist infrastructure sites in the area of Nuseirat.

“The IDF is making significant efforts to mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians and is operating in accordance with international law against the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip that are systematically and cynically operating from within civilian infrastructure.”

Gaza’s Civil Defense also said a residential block was hit south of Nuseirat, with hospital officials saying they received three bodies.

“A short while ago, one tower [block] was bombed,” Mahdi Abdullah, a man from northern Gaza displaced in Nuseirat, told CNN. “The situation is difficult here, and I am waiting for things to calm down so that I can return to my place.”

The Israeli military has launched numerous deadly strikes on Nuseirat, including the targeting of multiple UN-run schools housing displaced people. The Israeli military has said its targets were Hamas compounds operating inside the schools.

Nuseirat residents described living in constant fear of being bombed and a deteriorating humanitarian situation.

“The situation is scary,” said Rahma Abu Hajjaj, a 39-year-old mother of five from Nuserirat. “There are no warnings, there are no alarms when homes are bombed, we are hiding all the time and we do not know why they are targeting these homes.”

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that 37 people have been killed and 54 injured in the past 24 hours due to ongoing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The ministry said the total number of deaths since October 7 now stands at 38,919 people, with another 89,622 people injured. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants killed.

Israel launched its ground campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 attacks, which killed around 1,200 people.