Tunde Sulaiman 
Israeli strikes have killed at least 73 people, including women and children, in the city of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, the strip’s Hamas-run authorities said.
Dozens of others are injured and many are still trapped under the rubble after the bombing late on Saturday night, officials added.
Israel said it was checking reports of casualties but said the figures published by Hamas authorities were “exaggerated” and did not match information held by its military.
Fighting also continues to be reported in southern Lebanon as well as the south of Beirut yesterday morning, where smoke was seen rising above the city, reports the BBC.
Israel said its air force had attacked “about 175 terrorist targets” in Gaza and Lebanon over the past day. The latest strikes come just hours after reports of heavy gunfire from Israeli troops at the Indonesian Hospital in the city.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC it had struck a “Hamas terror target” and was “doing everything possible to avoid causing harm to civilians”.
It said the casualties given by the Hamas office were “exaggerated” and said such sources had “proven to be sorely unreliable in previous incidents.”
Israel began a renewed military offensive in northern Gaza in early October, saying it is trying to prevent Hamas from regrouping in the area.
