A significant number of Palestinians were either killed or injured during an Israeli airstrike on a multi-storey residential building in Beit Lahiya, located in northern Gaza, on Sunday, according to reports from medical personnel to Reuters.

The exact number of fatalities has not been confirmed. The Palestinian Civil Emergency reported that approximately 70 individuals resided in the building.

The media office of the Hamas-led Gaza government stated that 72 individuals lost their lives in the incident. Medics and local residents indicated that the building was home to at least six families.

Israel has not yet issued a statement regarding the incident. The country has frequently accused the Hamas media office of inflating casualty figures.

Footage from the strike site, obtained by Reuters, depicted locals retrieving bodies from a large mound of debris, with several nearby homes also suffering significant damage.

Last month, the Israeli army deployed tanks into Beit Lahiya and the adjacent towns of Beit Hanoun and Jabalia, which is the largest of the eight historic refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, claiming it was part of an operation to combat Hamas militants and prevent their reorganization.

Israeli forces reported the elimination of hundreds of militants in three regions that local residents indicated had been cut off from Gaza City.

On Sunday, the armed faction of Islamic Jihad, a partner of Hamas, announced that its fighters had detonated an Israeli military vehicle during clashes in Beit Lahiya. Israel has not yet responded to this assertion.

Earlier, an Israeli airstrike resulted in the deaths of at least 10 individuals in the Bureij camp located in the central Gaza Strip, following a missile strike on a residential building, according to medical sources. Additionally, four more fatalities were reported in the adjacent Nuseirat camp.

Qatar has informed both Hamas and Israel that it will pause its mediation efforts for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement until both parties demonstrate “willingness and seriousness” to re-engage in negotiations.

The two conflicting parties continue to exchange accusations. Hamas seeks a resolution that would conclude the conflict, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains that hostilities can only cease with the complete dismantling of Hamas.

According to the Gaza health ministry, the death toll has reached 43,800 since October 7, 2023. On that day, Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and are still holding dozens of the 250 hostages taken back to Gaza, as reported by Israeli sources.