Israel's military said on Friday it had killed five Hamas militants, including commanders, in an overnight raid in northern Gaza's Beit Lahia, where Palestinian medics reported dozens killed or missing.

In a statement, the military and the Shin Bet security agency said they had "eliminated five Hamas terrorists, including a Nukhba (commando) company commander and an additional company commander who participated in the October 7 massacre" that sparked the Gaza war last year.

The statement added that the commanders had "led the murders and kidnappings in the area of Mefalsim", a kibbutz community in southern Israel, near the Gaza border. 
Medics in the Gaza Strip said an overnight Israeli raid on Beit Lahia and nearby Jabalia resulted in dozens killed or missing.

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The civil defence agency was not immediately able to provide an exact toll.

The Israeli military said it had taken "numerous steps... to mitigate the risk to civilians".

It named the militant commanders killed as Jihad Kahlout and Muhammad Okel, "two terrorists who commanded the invasion of Israeli territory on October 7 and led the massacres and kidnappings on the Mefalsim road".

They were "among the leaders of the combat in the northern Gaza Strip against IDF (army) soldiers, during the operation that is currently underway in the area", the military statement added.

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Vowing to stop Hamas from regrouping in the already devastated north of the Gaza Strip, Israel launched a sweeping assault on the area in early October.

According to Hamas-ruled Gaza's health ministry, the latest Israeli operation has killed thousands of people.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Israel's military said on Friday it had killed five Hamas militants, including commanders, in an overnight raid in northern Gaza's Beit Lahia, where Palestinian medics reported dozens killed or missing.

Israel's military said on Friday it had killed five Hamas militants, including commanders, in an overnight raid in northern Gaza's Beit Lahia, where Palestinian medics reported dozens killed or missing. In a statement, the military and the Shin Bet security agency said they had "eliminated five Hamas terrorists, including a Nukhba (commando) company commander and an additional company commander who participated in the October 7 massacre" that sparked the Gaza war last year. The statement added that the commanders had "led the murders and kidnappings in the area of Mefalsim", a kibbutz community in southern Israel, near the Gaza border. Medics in the Gaza Strip said an overnight Israeli raid on Beit Lahia and nearby Jabalia resulted in dozens killed or missing. Also read | Netanyahu calls ICC arrest warrant 'antisemitic,' warns of 'severe consequences' The civil defence agency was not immediately able to provide an exact toll. The Israeli military said it had taken "numerous steps... to mitigate the risk to civilians". It named the militant commanders killed as Jihad Kahlout and Muhammad Okel, "two terrorists who commanded the invasion of Israeli territory on October 7 and led the massacres and kidnappings on the Mefalsim road". They were "among the leaders of the combat in the northern Gaza Strip against IDF (army) soldiers, during the operation that is currently underway in the area", the military statement added. Also read | US ‘fundamentally rejects’ ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu, says court has no credibility Vowing to stop Hamas from regrouping in the already devastated north of the Gaza Strip, Israel launched a sweeping assault on the area in early October. According to Hamas-ruled Gaza's health ministry, the latest Israeli operation has killed thousands of people. Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Israel army says killed five Hamas militants in north Gaza raid

Gaza's civil defence agency said Tuesday that an overnight Israeli air strike killed 93 people in a residential building in the northern district of Beit Lahia.

"The number of martyrs in the massacre of the Abu Nasr family home in Beit Lahia has risen to 93 martyrs, and about 40 are still missing under the rubble," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP in an updated toll.

The Israeli military said it was "looking into the reports".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/idf-captures-100-hamas-militants-in-north-gaza-hospital-military-says-771497">IDF captures 100 Hamas militants from north Gaza hospital, military says</a>

"The explosion happened at night and I first thought it was shelling, but when I went out after sunrise I saw people pulling bodies, limbs and the wounded from under the rubble," said Rabie al-Shandagly, 30, who had taken refuge in a nearby school in Beit Lahia.

"Most of the victims are women and children, and people are trying to save the injured, but there are no hospitals or proper medical care," he told AFP.

On Tuesday, Palestinians searched through the rubble of the building and removed the dead, while others mourned over the bodies of relatives.&nbsp;

In one AFP image, a charred body with long hair hung out of a window of the building in Beit Lahia.

The bodies of 15 people killed in the strike were brought to Kamal Adwan Hospital, its director Hussam Abu Safia told AFP.

He said 35 wounded people, most of them children, were being treated at the hospital.

"We are still receiving a number of martyrs and wounded," Safia said, adding that the hospital was struggling to treat patients due to a lack of staff and medicines.

"There is nothing left in the Kamal Adwan Hospital except first aid materials after the army arrested our medical team and workers when they invaded the hospital during the military operation in Jabalia," Safia said.

Last week, the Gaza health ministry said Israeli troops had stormed the hospital, while the Israeli military said it was operating around it.

"The enemy has committed another horrific massacre against our people, and northern Gaza is being subjected to a campaign of ethnic cleansing and systematic displacement," Hamas said in a statement condemning the Beit Lahia attack.

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Since October 6, the military has conducted a sweeping air and ground assault in northern Gaza, particularly in the areas of Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, in what it describes as an operation to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping.

In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the military said it had carried out several ground and air strikes in Jabalia over the past day, killing around 40 militants.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee northern Gaza since the onslaught began, while the civil defence agency has reported hundreds of deaths.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits for grammar and punctuation. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience. 
&nbsp;

Gaza's civil defence agency said Tuesday that an overnight Israeli air strike killed 93 people in a residential building in the northern district of Beit Lahia. "The number of martyrs in the massacre of the Abu Nasr family home in Beit Lahia has risen to 93 martyrs, and about 40 are still missing under the rubble," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP in an updated toll.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Tuesday that an overnight Israeli air strike killed 93 people in a residential building in the northern district of Beit Lahia. "The number of martyrs in the massacre of the Abu Nasr family home in Beit Lahia has risen to 93 martyrs, and about 40 are still missing under the rubble," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP in an updated toll. The Israeli military said it was "looking into the reports". Also read | IDF captures 100 Hamas militants from north Gaza hospital, military says "The explosion happened at night and I first thought it was shelling, but when I went out after sunrise I saw people pulling bodies, limbs and the wounded from under the rubble," said Rabie al-Shandagly, 30, who had taken refuge in a nearby school in Beit Lahia. "Most of the victims are women and children, and people are trying to save the injured, but there are no hospitals or proper medical care," he told AFP. On Tuesday, Palestinians searched through the rubble of the building and removed the dead, while others mourned over the bodies of relatives. In one AFP image, a charred body with long hair hung out of a window of the building in Beit Lahia. The bodies of 15 people killed in the strike were brought to Kamal Adwan Hospital, its director Hussam Abu Safia told AFP. He said 35 wounded people, most of them children, were being treated at the hospital. "We are still receiving a number of martyrs and wounded," Safia said, adding that the hospital was struggling to treat patients due to a lack of staff and medicines. "There is nothing left in the Kamal Adwan Hospital except first aid materials after the army arrested our medical team and workers when they invaded the hospital during the military operation in Jabalia," Safia said. Last week, the Gaza health ministry said Israeli troops had stormed the hospital, while the Israeli military said it was operating around it. "The enemy has committed another horrific massacre against our people, and northern Gaza is being subjected to a campaign of ethnic cleansing and systematic displacement," Hamas said in a statement condemning the Beit Lahia attack. Also read | Israeli parliament bans UNRWA, claims UN aid agency has 'deep connection' with Hamas Since October 6, the military has conducted a sweeping air and ground assault in northern Gaza, particularly in the areas of Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, in what it describes as an operation to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping. In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the military said it had carried out several ground and air strikes in Jabalia over the past day, killing around 40 militants. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee northern Gaza since the onslaught began, while the civil defence agency has reported hundreds of deaths. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits for grammar and punctuation. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

93 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on residential building in North Gaza

The World Food Programme's (WFP) "live-saving" food deliveries to northern Gaza have been paused as the agency claimed that aid convoys had had to go through "complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order" while making those deliveries.

The UN agency claimed that the decision was taken after&nbsp;their crews faced gunfire, looting and crowds.&nbsp;

The United Nations had&nbsp;earlier issued a warning against looming famine in the north of Gaza since December. According to WFP, the latest reports are a proof of "precipitous slide into hunger and disease".

The Israeli military had given orders for the evacuation of 1.1 million Palestinian civilians from all areas north of Wadi Gaza and asked them to find shelter in the south at the start when the ground offensive of Israel started in October.&nbsp;

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The evacuation area included Gaza City, which before the war started, was the territory's most densely populated area.

The WFP had earlier planned to begin a week-long delivery last weekend by sending 10 lorries every day to help "stem the tide of hunger and desperation".

However, on Sunday (Feb 18), as a convoy reached close to the Wadi Gaza checkpoint on its way north, it was "surrounded by crowds of hungry people" with "multiple attempts by people to climb aboard", and then on entering Gaza City faced gunfire, "high tension and explosive anger".

<h2>WFP claims 'witnessed unprecedented levels of desperation' in Gaza&nbsp;</h2>

The WFP claimed that in the last two days, its teams had "witnessed unprecedented levels of desperation" in the Gaza Strip.

"Food and safe water have become incredibly scarce and diseases are rife, compromising women's and children's nutrition and immunity and resulting in a surge of acute malnutrition. People are already dying from hunger-related causes," it said.

A joint report issued by the WFP and the UN's children's agency UNICEF on Monday found that the the situation was "particularly extreme" in the north of Gaza.

Nutrition screenings conducted at shelters and health centres in the north found that more than 15% of children under two years of age were "acutely malnourished", the WFP said.

Watch:&nbsp;Israel-Hamas war: Hamas makes rare admission &amp; claims it lost 6000 fighters

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/israel-hamas-war-hamas-makes-rare-admission-claims-it-lost-6000-fighters-692136/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The agency has claimed that they will find ways to soon resume deliveries in a "responsible manner" and appealed for a major expansion of aid to northern Gaza.&nbsp;

The agency said that this would need significantly higher volumes of food entering Gaza from different routes and demanded the opening of crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza.

"Gaza is hanging by a thread and WFP must be enabled to reverse the path towards famine for thousands of desperately hungry people," it said.

(With inputs from agencies)

The World Food Programme's (WFP) "live-saving" food deliveries to northern Gaza have been paused as the agency claimed that aid convoys had had to go through "complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order" while making those deliveries.

The World Food Programme's (WFP) "live-saving" food deliveries to northern Gaza have been paused as the agency claimed that aid convoys had had to go through "complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order" while making those deliveries. The UN agency claimed that the decision was taken after their crews faced gunfire, looting and crowds. The United Nations had earlier issued a warning against looming famine in the north of Gaza since December. According to WFP, the latest reports are a proof of "precipitous slide into hunger and disease". The Israeli military had given orders for the evacuation of 1.1 million Palestinian civilians from all areas north of Wadi Gaza and asked them to find shelter in the south at the start when the ground offensive of Israel started in October. Also Read: Rivalling Algeria's efforts, US proposes its own UN draft resolution on Israel-Hamas war The evacuation area included Gaza City, which before the war started, was the territory's most densely populated area. The WFP had earlier planned to begin a week-long delivery last weekend by sending 10 lorries every day to help "stem the tide of hunger and desperation". However, on Sunday (Feb 18), as a convoy reached close to the Wadi Gaza checkpoint on its way north, it was "surrounded by crowds of hungry people" with "multiple attempts by people to climb aboard", and then on entering Gaza City faced gunfire, "high tension and explosive anger". WFP claims 'witnessed unprecedented levels of desperation' in Gaza The WFP claimed that in the last two days, its teams had "witnessed unprecedented levels of desperation" in the Gaza Strip. "Food and safe water have become incredibly scarce and diseases are rife, compromising women's and children's nutrition and immunity and resulting in a surge of acute malnutrition. People are already dying from hunger-related causes," it said. A joint report issued by the WFP and the UN's children's agency UNICEF on Monday found that the the situation was "particularly extreme" in the north of Gaza. Nutrition screenings conducted at shelters and health centres in the north found that more than 15% of children under two years of age were "acutely malnourished", the WFP said. Watch: Israel-Hamas war: Hamas makes rare admission & claims it lost 6000 fighters The agency has claimed that they will find ways to soon resume deliveries in a "responsible manner" and appealed for a major expansion of aid to northern Gaza. The agency said that this would need significantly higher volumes of food entering Gaza from different routes and demanded the opening of crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza. "Gaza is hanging by a thread and WFP must be enabled to reverse the path towards famine for thousands of desperately hungry people," it said. (With inputs from agencies)

Israel-Hamas war: World Food Programme pauses food deliveries to northern Gaza

Israeli force airstrikes on Northern Gaza in cross-border firing. Israeli forces have been claimed that the airstrike was retaliation to the rockets fired by Gaza.

Israeli force airstrikes on Northern Gaza in cross-border firing

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Israel army says killed five Hamas militants in north Gaza raid

93 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on residential building in North Gaza

Israel-Hamas war: World Food Programme pauses food deliveries to northern Gaza

Israeli force airstrikes on Northern Gaza in cross-border firing