Israel bombs al-Maghazi refugee camp, killing dozens, Gaza officials say

Bombing comes days after air raids on Jabalia and Bureij refugee camps that officials say killed more than 200 people.

Israel’s military has bombed al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, killing more than 30 people, Palestinian officials have said.

The victims of the air raid on Saturday were taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-run enclave said in a statement.

Palestinian news agency Wafa earlier reported that the bombing killed 51 people, mostly women and children.

Al Jazeera could not independently confirm the number of casualties from the bombing, which comes days after air raids on the Jabalia and Bureij refugee camps that Palestinian officials say killed more than 200 people.

Israel’s military did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

However, a military spokesperson told the AFP news agency it was investigating whether their forces had been operating in the area at the time.

The latest attacks came after the United States on Saturday rejected calls by Arab countries for an immediate ceasefire in the monthlong conflict.

At a news conference with his Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts in Amman, US Secretary of State Blinken said a full ceasefire would “leave Hamas in place to regroup and repeat attacks”.

US President Joe Biden’s administration has instead proposed localised “humanitarian pauses” to facilitate the delivery of aid into Gaza and efforts to secure the release of captives held by Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a temporary cessation in the war unless it involves the release of the more than 240 Israelis and foreigners believed to have been taken captive by the Palestinian armed group.

Blinken is on Sunday set to continue his tour of the Middle East – his second since the Israel-Hamas war began – with a two-day visit to Turkey.

At least 9,488 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its campaign to eliminate Hamas, according to Palestinian officials.

At least 1,430 people were killed and more than 240 others taken hostage during Hamas’s surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, according to Israeli officials.