Hamas: Israeli air strikes on Gaza leave dozens dead

According to Hamas, at least 38 people were killed and many others injured in two Israeli air strikes on buildings in Gaza City.

The Israeli military said that warplanes had attacked Hamas military infrastructure facilities. Further details would be announced later.

A Gaza Civil Defense spokesman said a block of flats in the al-Shati neighbourhood, one of Gaza’s historic refugee camps, was hit several times. The other attack targeted houses in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood, the Hamas-run government media office said.

The footage showed people carrying the injured away and searching for survivors in the rubble while the streets were filled with dust.

According to earlier reports, the death toll was 42.

Israeli media reported that the airstrikes may have been aimed at a high-ranking Hamas official.

Hussein Muhaisen, a spokesman for civil defense in Gaza City, told AFP the impact of the attacks was “like an earthquake.”

“The whole area was the target of the attacks. As you can see, houses were destroyed. Families are still lying under the rubble,” he said.

“Some of the injured have been taken to Baptist Hospital and now we are rescuing others from the rubble. The situation is very, very difficult as there is a lack of tools and fuel for the ambulances.”

Mr Borrell called for an independent investigation and demanded that those responsible be held to account.

On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said an initial investigation into the shooting in the al-Mawasi region of southern Gaza had found that there was “no direct attack by the IDF on a Red Cross facility.”

It said the incident was being “investigated expeditiously” and the results would be presented.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage.

According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 37,551 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since then.

The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but by the end of April, 14,680 children, women and elderly people were reportedly among the dead.