Israeli strike on Khan Younis house kills seven ahead of ICJ’s genocide hearing

Israel has bombarded the southern and central Gaza Strip overnight, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is to hold hearings in a case filed by South Africa over the regime’s genocidal onslaught on Gaza.

The official Palestinian WAFA news agency reported on Thursday that seven people were killed and 25 others injured in an Israeli attack on a residence in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza.

The Israeli forces bombed a house belonging to the Abu Namous family in the “al-Maskar” area, west of Khan Younis, according to local sources, adding that women and children were among the casualties.

Also, the Israeli bombing of a residential building near al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, killed at least eight people, according to medical sources. The building was a center for evacuees taking shelter inside.

Gaza’s Government Media Office says 40 have been killed and wounded in the attack.

Moreover, Israeli recent strikes in Rafah have killed 12 Palestinians, including four children.

Israel has heavily bombarded southern Gaza, despite its status as a so-called “safe” section of the territory currently sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians.

The latest attacks come as Israel has intensified bombing and ground incursions in central and southern Gaza, with at least 147 people killed in the past day.

The UN Human Rights Office in Occupied Palestinian Territory, in a statement, said it is deeply concerned that Israeli forces “have placed civilian lives at serious risk by ordering residents from various parts of Middle Gaza to relocate to Deir el-Balah – while continuing to conduct air strikes on the city.”