The US State Department described the bombing in Gaza that resulted in 93 deaths as “horrific” and requested clarification from Israel regarding the incident.
During a press conference on October 29, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed deep concern over the civilian casualties resulting from the Israeli airstrike that collapsed a five-story apartment building in northern Gaza, killing at least 93 people. He described the situation as “horrific” with “terrifying consequences.”Miller noted that the US has not yet verified the total number of fatalities from the bombing, but emphasized that “many of the victims were children who had been fleeing the fighting for over a year.”
He mentioned that the US has been in contact with the Israeli government seeking clarification on the incident, stating, “We do not know the factors behind the airstrike and have not received a complete explanation from them about what occurred.”
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman David Avraham stated they are investigating the presence of so many civilians in the northern Gaza city of Beit Lahia during the October 29 airstrike. He noted that residents had been advised to evacuate weeks prior.In a press conference last week, General Elad Goren, who oversees the IDF’s humanitarian operations in Gaza, asserted that there were “no more civilians” in Beit Lahia.
However, Gaza health officials reported that the attack on a five-story building in the area resulted in at least 93 deaths, including 25 children, making it one of the deadliest incidents in Israel’s bombing campaign in northern Gaza.Avraham explained that the airstrike targeted an area where the IDF had detected “a suspect” and emphasized that the intention was not to collapse the apartment building.Jeremy Laurence, spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office, expressed shock at the attack, calling it one of the deadliest single incidents in Gaza in nearly three months.
The UN has called for a “prompt, transparent, and detailed” investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack and urged accountability for those responsible.This incident is not the first time the Israeli military has faced accusations of causing mass casualties in Beit Lahia. According to Gaza health authorities, at least 87 people, many of them children, were killed in an IDF attack on the city on the night of October 19.
On October 6, the Israeli military initiated a new operation in northern Gaza, targeting the regions of Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun. The operation is aimed at preventing the Hamas militant group from reestablishing its presence. Since the operation began, the Gaza Civil Defense Agency reports that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, and tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes.
