Senior Palestinian civil defense official killed in Israeli airstrike on home in N. Gaza

GAZA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) — Deputy Director of the Palestinian Civil Defense Mohammed Morsi and his four family members were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the northern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources on Sunday.
The airstrike targeted the home of the Morsi family in Jabalia refugee camp with at least one missile, Palestinian security sources told Xinhua.
There has been so far no comment from Israel on the airstrike.
In a press statement, the Palestinian Civil Defense condemned the killing of Morsi, noting that 83 civil defense members have been killed and more than 200 others injured since the onset of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 11 months ago.
Civil defense teams are still suffering from a shortage of specialized rescue equipment, fuel and spare parts needed to protect lives and property, it added.
Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the strip has risen to 40,972, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Sunday. ■