IDF says it struck Gaza refugee camp

The Israeli military claimed it struck a military target inside a Gaza refugee camp late Monday.

The strike killed and wounded dozens of civilians at the Al-Shati refugee camp, the Gaza Health Ministry said. It did did not specify exactly how many.

Palestinian media, however, reported that five people were killed in the strike, according to Reuters.

“Many of the casualties are children and women who are still under rubble,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.

The Israeli military described the attack as as part of its strikes on “terror infrastructure and Hamas staging grounds” all across Gaza. 

The Israel Defense Forces have stepped up the intensity of its aerial strikes on Gaza amid preparation for an expected ground invasion of the territory, which has brought increased scrutiny as Palestinian civilian casualties rise.

More than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting so far, including over 2,000 children, the Hamas-controlled health ministry said. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the conflict, mostly civilians in the surprise attack earlier this month which launched the war.

At least 50 Palestinians were killed in strikes overnight Monday, according to survivors and the Hamas-run Gaza Interior Ministry. Two significant sets of strikes on a group of homes in Rafah and an apartment building in Khan Yunis killed 28 and 32 people, respectively.

While Israel ticks up its aerial strikes, humanitarian groups continue their push for more aid for civilians in the territory. Aid convoys began flowing into Gaza on Saturday, but humanitarian leaders have warned that the little that has entered so far is not enough, and that convoys will soon need to stop as Gaza runs entirely out of fuel.

President Obama urged restraint from Israel in the conflict, saying in a statement Monday that Israel must protect Gaza civilians.

“But even as we support Israel, we should also be clear that how Israel prosecutes this fight against Hamas matters,” Obama wrote. “In particular, it matters — as President Biden has repeatedly emphasized — that Israel’s military strategy abides by international law, including those laws that seek to avoid, to every extent possible, the death or suffering of civilian populations.”

“The Israeli government’s decision to cut off food, water and electricity to a captive civilian population threatens not only to worsen a growing humanitarian crisis,” he continued, saying “it could further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s enemies, and undermine long term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.”