AN ISRAELI strike on the central Gaza Strip has wiped out a family of eight, Palestinian medical officials said today.

This came as the battle between Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance fighters continued to rage and as Israel pushed for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from the territory’s north.

The attack on Saturday night hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing parents and their six children, who ranged in age from eight to 23, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah, where the bodies were taken.

Another seven people were wounded, including two women and a child in critical condition, the hospital said. 

More than a year into the war with Hamas, Israel continues to strike what it claims to be military targets in Gaza nearly every day. The Israelis blame civilian deaths on Hamas who they claim operate in densely populated areas.

The military rarely comments on individual strikes. In recent months, it has repeatedly struck schools being used as shelters by displaced people, accusing militants of hiding among them.

In northern Gaza, Israeli air and ground forces have been attacking Jabaliya, where the military says Palestinian fighters have regrouped. 

Over the past year, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to the built-up refugee camp, which dates back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation, and other hard-hit areas.

Israel has ordered the full evacuation of northern Gaza, including Gaza City. An estimated 400,000 people remain in the north after a mass evacuation was ordered in the opening weeks of the war. 

The Palestinians fear Israel intends to permanently depopulate the north to establish military bases or Jewish settlements there.

The Israeli military confirmed on Saturday that hospitals were included in the general evacuation orders but said it had not set a specific timetable.