The Israeli army claims it was targeting a “Hamas command centre” without providing any evidence [GETTY]
An Israeli attack on a UN medical facility killed dozens of people, including a newborn baby, north of Gaza on Wednesday as Israel continues its renewed assault on the devastated Palestinian enclave.
At least 22 civilians were killed in the Israeli strike, which targeted a facility run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the Gaza Government Media Office said.
A newborn baby was beheaded as a result the attack. A horrific video showed a man holding the body of the baby outside the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia after the attack.
The strike also caused a fire in the building, which was sheltering displaced families who were fleeing Israeli bombardment after their homes were destroyed.
The Gaza government media office condemned the attack as “war crime”, calling for the international community to act.
“The targeting of a medical clinic belonging to a UN agency constitutes a full-fledged war crime that requires urgent international accountability,” they said, noting that the Israeli army was expanding its aggression.
“We also denounce this barbaric aggression that deliberately targets medical facilities and humanitarian shelters.”
The Israeli army, confirming its attack, claimed it was targeting a Hamas “command-and-control centre” – a claim the army usually makes without providing any evidence.
Israeli forces have targeted a total of 228 shelters for civilians since October 2023.
This comes as Israel renewed its war on the Gaza Strip last month, leading to a breakdown of the 58 day ceasefire, killing over a thousand civilians in two weeks.
Its army also expanded its ground assault on Wednesday, saying it will “capture extensive territory” to be added to “buffer zones”.
Israel’s war has killed over 62,000 civilians since October 2023, including the 11,000 missing or trapped under the rubble that the health ministry has presumed dead.
On Wednesday alone, Israeli attacks killed 57 Palestinians, Al Jazeera Arabic reported.
