Israeli airstrikes kill 19 in northern Gaza: Officials

At least 19 people, mostly women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza early Monday, according to the territory's civil defence authority.

A spokesperson for the agency, Mahmud Bassal, said 15 people were killed and 10 injured when three apartments were hit northwest of Gaza City. Another strike on a house in Beit Lahiya killed four more and wounded four.

The Israeli military has not commented on the incidents.

Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on 18 March, intensifying both air and ground operations. It has also blocked all humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave of 2.4 million people since 2 March.

Israeli authorities say the campaign aims to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages still held in Gaza. Militants are believed to be holding 58 hostages from the 7 October 2023 attack, with 34 of them presumed dead. Hamas is also keeping the remains of a soldier killed in a 2014 war.

The October attack left 1,218 people dead in Israel, mostly civilians. Since then, over 52,535 people have been killed in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the local health ministry.