Israeli army pounds Gaza's Beit Hanoun with massive airstrikes amid genocidal war

The Israeli army launched dozens of airstrikes on the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun on Saturday evening as the army continued a brutal offensive on the Palestinian enclave.

Sounds of explosions were heard across the town, causing panic among displaced civilians, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the army launched intensive airstrikes targeting more than 35 targets in Beit Hanoun.

He claimed that Hamas infrastructure was among the bombed targets, without providing any specific details.

No information was yet available about fatalities in the attacks.

Beit Hanoun has been under intensive Israeli strikes in recent days after five soldiers were killed and 14 others injured in a Hamas attack on Monday.

On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz shared an aerial photo showing massive destruction across the town.

Lying on the northern border of the Gaza Strip, Beit Hanoun was among the first areas that the Israeli army invaded in October 2023.

Despite more than 21 months since the start of the genocidal war on Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinian factions continue to conduct well-planned ambushes in the area, inflicting casualties on Israeli forces, showcasing Tel Aviv's inability to achieve its war objectives.

In June 2024, local Palestinian authorities declared Beit Hanoun a "disaster area" due to Israeli strikes, near-total destruction of infrastructure and vital services, and a collapse of the humanitarian situation.

According to previous figures from the Beit Hanoun Municipality, 60,000 people lived in the town, which spans 17,000 dunams (1,700 hectares), before the start of the Israeli war.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late October 2023, killing nearly 58,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.