An Al-Jazeera journalist is mourning the loss of his entire immediate family after they were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, the brodcaster said in a statement.

Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Gaza had moved his family to the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, following calls from Israel for civilians to move south.

His wife, son and daughter, and several other family members, were killed following the airstrike late on Tuesday.

Footage later showed Al-Dahdouh in tears as he knelt next to the bodies of his family at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah.

Palestinian officials, said a further 21 people were killed by the airstrike.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on his way out of the hospital, Al-Dahdouh said: “What happened is clear. This is a series of targeted attacks on children, women and civilians.

“I was just reporting from Yarmouk about such an attack, and the Israeli raids have targeted many areas, including Nuseirat.

“We had our doubts that the Israeli occupation would not let these people go without punishing them. And sadly, that is what happened. This is the ‘safe’ area that the occupation army spoke of.”

Israel has not commented on the incident and insists it does not target civilian locations.

Al Jazeera said in a statement: "The indiscriminate assault by the Israeli Occupation forces resulted in the tragic loss of his wife, son, and daughter, while the rest of his family is buried under the rubble.

"Their home was targeted in the Nuseirat camp in the centre of Gaza, where they had sought refuge after being displaced by the initial bombardment in their neighborhood, following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call for all civilians to move south.

"Al Jazeera is deeply concerned about the safety, and well-being of our colleagues in Gaza and hold the Israeli authorities responsible for their security.

"The Network strongly condemns the indiscriminate targeting and killing of innocent civilians in Gaza, which has led to the loss of Wael Al-Dahdouh’s family and countless others.

"We urge the international community to intervene and put an end to these attacks on civilians, thereby safeguarding innocent lives."

Airstrikes on Gaza have killed more than 6,500 people, officials have said, while some 60,000 people have been displaced. The attacks come after Hamas militants killed 1,400 people in Israel on October 7.

On Thursday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released video footage of Israeli tanks rolling into the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday night, while pictures have shown Palestinians fleeing amid fresh strikes on the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Amid the desperate scenes in Gaza, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told Sky News: "I deplore and I'm heartbroken by every loss of innocent civilian life.

"But actually the way to stop further losses of innocent civilian lives is to remove the terrorist threat and to move to a position where we can restore stability and peace to this region."