ISTANBUL

At least 18 Palestinians were killed on Thursday morning as Israeli jets kept bombing Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip overnight.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency said the Israeli warplanes struck a home in Khan Younis city with several missiles.

It added that the Israeli airstrikes on the home destroyed it completely, and left 18 Palestinians killed, most of them children, in addition to dozens injured.

An unidentified number of people is believed to be still under the rubble of the house.

The conflict in Gaza began when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack on Oct. 7 that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

More than 7,900 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 6,546 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been running out of food, water, medicine, and fuel, and aid convoys allowed into Gaza have carried only a fraction of what is needed.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar​​​​​​​