47 killed in Israeli attack on al-Mughazi refugee camp in Gaza

Gaza: At least 47 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 others injured in a massive Israeli attack on the al-Mughazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, the Gaza-based Health Ministry has said.

The victims of the air raid on the al-Maghazi camp, most of whom were women and children, as well as injured people, were taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-run enclave said in a statement, reports Al Jazeera.

Jabalia camp was also hit overnight, leaving at least six people dead. On Sunday, an Israeli air strike hit residential buildings in the Bureij refugee camp, killing at least 20 Palestinians, reports Al Jazeera.

The latest attacks came after the US 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 Antony Blinken said a full ceasefire would “leave Hamas in place to regroup and repeat attacks”, reports Al Jazeera.

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Instead of endorsing a temporary halt to the conflict, the Biden administration has suggested implementing localized "humanitarian pauses" to facilitate aid delivery to Gaza and work towards the release of captives held by Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, has rejected a temporary ceasefire unless it includes the release of over 240 Israelis and foreigners who are believed to be held captive by the Palestinian armed group.

Israel continued its attacks on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, bombing at least three refugee camps and a police station east of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, which witnessed deadly field clashes in the last 24 hours, said a Palestinian security source.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Sunday that its fighters "trapped Israeli forces penetrating east of Khan Younis into a tight ambush after striking them with Al-Yassin 105 shells, heavy sniper weapons, medium weapons, and mortar shells, which led to the destruction of two tanks."

The Israel-Hamas conflict, raging for nearly a month, has claimed the lives of 9,770 Palestinians in Gaza.

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