Israeli strike kills at least 60 in northern Gaza, health officials say

Palestinian health officials said an Israeli airstrike Tuesday hit a five-story residential building in northern Gaza, killing at least 60 people.  The strike happened in Beit Lahiya where officials said 17 other people were missing after the attack. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized legislation passed by the Israeli parliament banning the main U.N. aid agency for the Palestinians, UNRWA. The law is set to go into effect in 90 days, which Guterres said “could have devastating consequences” for Palestinian refugees. In a statement late Monday, Guterres called on Israel to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law and said national legislation “cannot alter those obligations.” “The implementation of these laws would be detrimental for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for peace and security in the region as a whole. As I said before, UNRWA is indispensable,” Guterres said. U.N. humanitarian chief Volker Turk called Israel’s move “deeply troubling for many reasons – with potential dire impacts on the human rights of those depending on UNRWA’s assistance.” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday the Israeli law is a clear violation of international law. "It is the legal and moral obligation of the international community to take a strong stance against attempts to ban UNRWA, which was established by a U.N. General Assembly resolution," the ministry said. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement Monday that the bill “sets a dangerous precedent.” “This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role towards providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine Refugees,” he wrote on social media platform X. Israel has accused dozens of UNRWA staffers of being members of Hamas and some of participating in the October 7, 2023, terror attacks. UNRWA says it has taken action against about a dozen employees that Israel provided evidence about regarding their involvement with the terror group. However, in dozens of other cases, UNRWA has received either insufficient or no evidence from Israeli authorities. Hezbollah leader The Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah announced Tuesday that Sheikh Naim Kassem is its new leader, following the killing of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in a September Israeli airstrike in Beirut. A Hezbollah statement said the group’s Shura Council elected Kassem, and that the militants would continue Nasrallah’s policies.  Kassem served as Hezbollah’s deputy leader for more than three decades. Hamas and Hezbollah are U.S.-designated terror groups.  The latest conflict in the region began when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and captured about 250 hostages in their October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Israel says it believes Hamas is still holding 101 hostages, including 35 the military says are dead.       Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to the territory's health ministry, with Israel saying the death toll includes thousands of militants. The Israeli campaign has devastated much of the Gaza Strip, while the fighting and Israeli evacuation orders have displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people.  VOA U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.