ISTANBUL

At least 69 Palestinians, including 12 children, were killed and dozens of others injured in the latest Israeli airstrikes targeting various areas across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, sources and witnesses said.

In one of the deadliest attacks, Israeli airstrikes flattened several homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing 30 people, including 12 children and 14 women.

A fetus was recovered from the body of his deceased mother due to the force of the explosion.

In Gaza City, five Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, while two others - a man and his wife - died in a separate strike on an apartment building near Haidar Square.

In northern Gaza, five Palestinians were killed and several others injured when Israeli forces opened fire near aid seekers in the Zikim area. In Wadi Gaza, south of the city, 14 people were shot dead near an aid distribution center.

Further south, near Rafah, one civilian was killed close to a US-run aid center, and seven more died between Rafah and Khan Younis after being fired upon while seeking aid.

In western Khan Younis, five family members were killed in a drone strike targeting a tent for displaced families near the al-Mawasi coastal zone.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.

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.