A doctor in a Gaza hospital has lost nine children in an Israeli attack, the territory’s health ministry said on Saturday, as dozens of Palestinians were reported killed.

According to the Hamas-run authority, the doctor’s husband and one surviving child were also seriously injured in the attack in the southern city of Khan Younis.

The doctor was reportedly working in the Nasser Hospital at the time of the airstrike.

The BBC broadcaster said the hospital has also confirmed the incident.

A British doctor working at the hospital said he operated on the surviving child, an 11-year-old boy, and expressed his shock at the incident in a video on Instagram.

He said the husband was also a doctor at the hospital and added that it is unclear whether he will survive.

An Israeli military spokesman said the reports would be investigated. He said a drone attack was carried out against several suspects near Israeli ground troops in Khan Younis.

According to the health authority in Gaza, 79 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Saturday alone, amid a renewed offensive by the Israeli military.

Dozens of deaths have been reported daily since the new military offensive in the Gaza began a week ago, including with ground forces.

Israel’s actions in the sealed-off territory are drawing mounting international criticism – even by close allies.

The war in Gaza has claimed more than 53,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israeli settlers attack West Bank villages

Also on Saturday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli settlers attacked two Bedouin villages in the West Bank.

The aid organization said one attack targeted a settlement east of Ramallah which had already been abandoned by some of the 25 families living there due to previous raids.

Five of the remaining residents were injured in the attack, the PRCS said.

In addition, seven people were injured in a second incident in a village east of Bethlehem.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the settlers had tried to set fire to houses.

They also killed some of the villagers’ goats and sheep, which are central to their livelihood.

The Israeli military did not initially comment on the reports.

The situation in the occupied West Bank has worsened since the October 7, 2023, attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the ensuing war in Gaza.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 920 Palestinians have since been killed in the West Bank in Israeli military operations, armed clashes and attacks by extremists.

There has also been increased violence by radical Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians.

‘Hostagescream’ calls cause alarm in Israel

Meanwhile, numerous people in Israel have received calls in the past day in which recordings of what are believed to be the screams of hostages held in Gaza can be heard, according to media reports.

In addition to the screams, explosions and the wailing of sirens were also audible, the news website Ynet reported. The calls were made from unknown numbers.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel said it was aware of the calls and that the recordings played were taken from Hamas hostage videos that the Palestinian group had recently distributed.

The forum stressed in a statement that the calls were not made on its behalf.

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper said some calls also included voices calling for a swift hostage deal.

According to Israeli sources, 20 hostages are still being held alive in the Gaza Strip. It is unclear whether three other hostages are still alive.

In addition, the remains of 35 deceased abductees are still there. Negotiations with Hamas on the release of the hostages have stalled.

According to a report by the N12 television channel, the Israeli Cyber Directorate has launched an investigation into the calls.

“The Cyber Directorate emphasizes that these are attempts to incite panic among the population,” N12 quoted a statement by the authority as saying.