In Gaza, aid groups say Jabalia and other parts of northern Gaza have been under siege since early October when Israel launched a new ground offensive against the Palestinian armed group Hamas.
Dr Fadel Naim, director of the Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza City, told AP news agency that his facility had received 17 bodies from Jabalia so far, including those of nine women, and the death toll was likely to rise.
Eyewitnesses described the Israeli strike as an “earthquake”.
“We were just sitting peacefully. These are innocent citizens who don’t belong to any military organization or faction,” eyewitness and relative to the victims Hamza Alloush told Reuters.
The house “was bombed over the residents’ heads without warning, which led to the martyrdom of everyone inside. Those who were lucky enough to survive were thrown onto the trees, onto the neighbours, and the remains are still scattered under the rubble”, he said.
Videos and images showed multiple bodies wrapped in blankets in the back of cars and laid to the ground at a hospital.
Another strike in Gaza City killed a welfare ministry official and seven members of his family, including his wife and children, medics and relatives said.
Israel is facing a US deadline that expires within days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on military cooperation.
The UN previously said the “darkest moment” of the war in Gaza was unfolding in the northern part of the territory.
