Israeli strike on Gaza residential building kills 29, medics say

At least 29 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike. This strike hit a residential building in eastern Gaza City, according to a local hospital.

The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency reported that warplanes targeted the area near al-Hawashi mosque. The attack occurred on Tuesday morning. More than 40 people were wounded, and rescuers are still searching for bodies in the rubble.

The Israeli military stated it struck a "senior Hamas terrorist." This individual was responsible for planning attacks in the area. They claimed numerous steps were taken to protect civilians, including using "precision weapons."

The military accused Hamas of violating international law. They alleged Hamas uses civilians as human shields.

Ayub Salim, 26, spoke to AFP news agency about the attack. He said the area was crowded with tents and displaced people. He described being hit by "multiple missiles" with shrapnel flying everywhere.

"Dust and massive destruction filled the entire place," he said. "We couldn't see anything, just screams and panic." He called it a "horrific massacre."

Thousands of Shejaiya residents fled last week after an evacuation order from Israel. The military stated they were operating to destroy "terrorist infrastructure."

Earlier on Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry reported at least 33 deaths from Israeli attacks over the past day. This raised the total number of deaths since March 18 to 1,482.

Additionally, around 390,000 people have been displaced in three weeks. Two-thirds of Gaza is now designated as "no-go" zones or under evacuation orders, according to the UN.

The UN warned that supplies of food, medicine, and fuel have run low. Israel has blocked humanitarian aid deliveries for a month to pressure Hamas.

On Tuesday, Secretary General António Guterres condemned the Israeli blockade. He stated it violated international law and opened "the floodgates of horror." He described Gaza as a killing field where civilians face endless death.

The Israeli foreign ministry rejected Guterres' criticism. They claimed he spread slander against Israel without considering facts.

"There is no shortage of humanitarian aid in Gaza," spokesman Oren Marmonstein said. Over 25,000 aid trucks entered during the ceasefire period. However, he alleged that Hamas used this aid to rebuild its war machine.

Six UN humanitarian agencies disagreed with Israel's claims about food availability being sufficient.

Israel launched its campaign against Hamas following an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023. That attack resulted in about 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken.

Since then, more than 50,840 people have died in Gaza according to its health ministry.