Israeli airstrikes cause large casualties in refugee camp of central Gaza: civil defense

GAZA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) — Israeli forces launched airstrikes on the houses of Palestinians in the Al-Bureij refugee camp of the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday, causing large casualties, Palestinian Civil Defense said.
Tens of dead and wounded people were under the rubble of homes targeted by the Israeli army in the camp, Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, told Xinhua, without providing further details.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli aircraft and artillery shelled several houses in the camp simultaneously.
A large number of residents were trapped under the ruins of collapsed houses as ambulances and civil defense vehicles faced difficulty in reaching them amid the intensive shelling, the witnesses added.
The Israeli army has not commented on the incident yet.
Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 41,252, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Tuesday. ■