At least 87 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit several multi-story buildings overnight in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, the health ministry said.
The number killed includes 27 bodies retrieved so far and 60 people under the rubble. More than 40 people had been injured, including a number of very critical cases, the ministry said.
According to reports, several children were among the dead, many with extensive injuries.
A viral video online on Sunday showed numerous body bags at the hospital amid grieving relatives.
Overnight footage showed rescue workers combing through tonnes of rubble in the search for survivors and victims.
The Israeli military has issued a number of evacuation orders for northern Gaza this month where it has renewed its ground offensive.
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Peace Process in the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, in a statement expressed horror at the airstrike, saying that “the nightmare in Gaza is intensifying.”
