The Latest | At least 17 killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza

An Israeli airstrike killed at least 17 people in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, adding that a total of 97 people had died in the last 24 hours.

First responders with the Civil Defense circulated footage of rescuers pulling dead and wounded people from the rubble of a house, including a child with blood on his face who was not moving. The nearby European Hospital said Tuesday that it had received 17 bodies overnight.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Tuesday that it was carrying out targeted raids on militant infrastructure in Khan Younis while trying to evacuate civilians from the area.

The latest fatalities brought the overall Palestinian toll from the nearly five-month war to 30,631, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures but says women and children make up around two-thirds of the total casualties. It says over 72,000 people have been wounded.

Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-led militants stormed across the border on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Over 100 hostages were released last year in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Currently:

— Vice President Harris hosts Israeli war Cabinet member as the US pushes to get more aid into Gaza.

— A UN envoy says there are ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe Hamas committed sexual violence on Oct. 7.

— Israel escalates its criticism of a U.N. agency in Gaza. It says 450 of its workers are militants.

— Netanyahu leaned on his top rival to help unify Israel. Now, Benny Gantz is more popula r.

— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

Here’s the latest:

AT LEAST 17 KILLED IN KHAN YOUNIS IN SOUTHERN GAZA STRIP

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike has killed at least 17 people in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.

First responders with the Civil Defense circulated video footage of rescuers pulling dead and wounded people from the rubble of a house, including a child with blood on his face who was not moving.

The nearby European Hospital said Tuesday that it had received 17 bodies overnight.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says a total of 97 people have been killed over the last 24 hours. That brought the overall Palestinian death toll from the nearly five-month war to 30,631, according to the ministry. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures but says women and children make up around two-thirds of the total casualties. It says over 72,000 people have been wounded.

Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-led militants stormed across the border on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Over 100 hostages were released last year in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames the high toll on Hamas because the militants operate in dense, residential areas. The military rarely comments on individual strikes.

The military said in a statement on Tuesday that it was carrying out targeted raids on militant infrastructure in Khan Younis while trying to evacuate civilians from the area.

5 THAIS WERE INJURED IN A MISSILE ATTACK FIRED FROM LEBANON

BANGKOK — Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that five Thais were injured by an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon on Monday.

Three of them were seriously injured and were being treated at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

The number was revised down from seven injured after the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed two were non-Thais, the ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, an Israeli advocacy group, said a man from India was killed in Monday’s attack. It said Israel was not doing enough to protect migrant workers hired for agricultural work in border areas under fire.

Farm workers from Asian countries have flocked to Israel in recent years, drawn by higher wages. Several foreign workers were among those killed and abducted in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza, which triggered the war.

Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group have traded fire nearly every day since the start of the war in Gaza. Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, says it is trying to pin down Israeli forces in the north to aid the Palestinian group.

Hezbollah did not immediately claim responsibility for Monday’s strike.

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