At least one dead in Gaza City after Israeli strike hits house

Rescuers have recovered at least one body from the rubble of a house in Gaza City that was destroyed after an Israeli strike hit it, local media said.

Several houses in the Shujaiya neighbourhood in the eastern part of the city had been hit by Israeli attacks over the weekend, according to reports.

Local media did not immediately report on any casualties.

The ongoing Israel-Hamas war, now in its second year, has left over 161,600 housing units destroyed, another 194,000 structures partially damaged, and approximately 82,000 homes have been rendered uninhabitable, The Gazan Ministry of Public Works and Housing said in a recent report.

Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Muhannad Hadi has called for an end to the war in Gaza to ensure a better future for children there and the entire region.

Hadi made the appeal on Sunday during a visit to Gaza City, where he met with representatives from humanitarian NGOs. The senior UN official also visited Gaza's Holy Family Church.

"Those children that you see here are the hope of the future, and without education, without proper health care, there will be no bright future. I am appealing to everybody to end this war. We are praying for peace," Hadi stressed.

The Israeli military launched the war after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which 1,139 people were killed and more than 200 people taken hostage.

While some of the hostages have since been released, Israeli officials say about 100 remain in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza enclave, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Since Israel’s war against Hamas began, more than 46,000 Gaza residents have been killed and more than 110,000 injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its casualty reports.