Israeli strike kills 26 people in Gaza City house, medics say

An Israeli airstrike killed at least 26 Palestinians, including children, in a house in Shejaia in Gaza City, local health authorities said on Wednesday.

Medics said dozens of others were wounded in the attack that hit a multi-floor residential building in the eastern suburb of Gaza City. They said many were still believed to be missing and trapped under the ruins of the building. The strike damaged several other houses nearby, medics said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.

Last week, the military ordered Shejaia residents to evacuate, saying forces intended to operate against rebels in the area.

Israel last month resumed its bombardment of Gaza after a two-month truce and sent troops back into the enclave. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Israeli military strikes have killed at least 1,400 people since March 18, when Israel renewed the attacks.

The armed wings of Hamas shortly afterwards resumed firing rockets into Israeli territory.

Israel and Hamas have traded blame over the stalemate in the ceasefire talks. Arab mediators, Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have stepped up efforts to restore calm but have so far failed to bridge the gap between the warring parties.

Israel's war in Gaza was triggered in October 2023, when Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 50,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign, Palestinian authorities have said.