The attack is said to have taken place early on Tuesday against a residential building in Beit Lahia where at least 200 people sought shelter, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
Pictures after the attack show dead people wrapped in sheets lying lined up along the street.
The death toll from the attack is still unclear. The Ministry of Health in Gaza states that at least 78 people were killed, AP writes. Gaza’s civil defense tells AFP that there are at least 93 dead. Among the dead were dozens of women and children, according to Palestinian reports.
There are still about 40 people left under the racial masses.
– We are deeply concerned about the loss of civilian life in this incident. This was a terrible event with a terrible result, said Mathew Miller of the US State Department.
The US requests an explanation
The US has contacted Israel and requested an explanation of what happened in the attack, says Miller. However, no explanation has yet been given.
The Israeli military says in a statement that it is aware of reports that up to 100 people were killed in the attack.
The military writes that they are investigating the incident and at the same time states that the media should be careful in publishing information that comes from Hamas, reports Times of Israel.
Hospitals exposed to raids
Parts of northern Gaza, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, are under siege by Israel. And since last week, Israel has issued an evacuation order regarding Beit Lahia.
“We emphasize again that this is an active combat zone,” writes the Israeli military.
Another 18 people were reportedly killed in an attack on Beit Lahia on Tuesday evening, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said. Several hospitals have also been subjected to Israeli raids where equipment has been destroyed and medical personnel taken away, reports Al Jazeera.
The humanitarian situation is feared to worsen further, since Israel on Monday banned the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in the country.