Israel has renewed its assault on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 18 Palestinians on Wednesday morning.

Palestinian medical sources reported that dozens of Palestinian citizens had been killed or injured in an Israeli artillery bombardment of Beit Hanoun in the north of Gaza Strip. A large number of women and children were also injured in the shelling.

The sources said the preliminary number of the citizens killed is 18, but rising. In addition, more than 35 were injured. Many of the dead arrived at the hospital fragmented in pieces.

The bombing targeted the house of two brothers, Sa’ed and Sa’di Al-‘Athamneh from Al-Kafarneh district in the town of Beit Hanoun.

Eleven members of the Al-‘Athamneh family were killed, including a one-year old girl. The killed are:

Ne’meh Al-‘Athamneh
Mohammed Al-‘Athamneh
Mahmoud Al-‘Athamneh
Mahdi Al-‘Athamneh
Sa’ed Al-‘Athamneh
Moha,med Al-‘Athamneh
Fatmeh Al-‘Athamneh
Nihad Al-‘Athamneh
Arafat Al-‘Athamneh
Dima Al-‘Athamneh (1-year-old girl)
Another young girl, Ala’ Al-‘Athamneh

The medical services are identifying the rest of the dead but it is proving difficult to identify them due to their fragmented bodies and the critical condition in which they arrived at the Kamal ‘Udwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya. In Kamal ‘Udwan Hospital, there are 12 dead and in Kamal Naser Hospital there are 4 dead. The number of people killed is raising by the minute.

Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli artillery bombed the houses while the residents were sleeping, resulting in the large number of casualties. Palestinians are comparing this massacre to the Qana massacre by the Israeli army in south Lebanon three months ago.

The government spokesman, Ghazi Hamad, appealed to the international community on the Al-Jazeera satellite channel to mobilize and stop Israel carrying out such massacres against unarmed Palestinians.

Reports are also coming in that armed Palestinians are firing at the European Union building in Gaza City.

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