Israeli airstrike in Gaza's Khan Younis city kills 13 people

Gaza, Jan 6 (IANS) At least 13 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike which targeted an inhabited house in southern Gaza's Khan Younis city on Saturday, local media reported.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, majority of the victims were women and children, while many others were also injured in the airstrike.

Local sources told Xinhua news agency that the Israeli warplanes also launched an attack on Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip early Saturday morning, leaving a number of people dead or injured.

In a statement, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said that the Israeli army launched 15 attacks on the Hamas-controlled enclave in the last 24 hours, resulting in 162 deaths and 296 injuries.

The new fatalities have raised the overall death toll in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023, to 22,600.

According to the Ministry, 70 per cent of the total victims comprise women and children.

Meanwhile, 57,910 Palestinians have also been injured in the raging hostilities.