ISTANBUL  

Thirty-six Palestinians were killed when the Israeli army targeted a house in the central Gaza Strip, according to authorities.

The army targeted at least 12 homes in Gaza during the night, the Gaza Media Office said in a statement.

"The Israeli occupation army bombed a house belonging to the et-Tabatibi family west of the Nuseirat refugee camp, resulting in the deaths of 36 Palestinians, most of whom were children, including pregnant women," it said.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive against Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group, Hamas, in which less than 1,200 people were killed.

At least 31,490 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and 73,439 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.