GAZA -- At least 15 Palestinians were killed and several others wounded Monday in an Israeli airstrike on the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, local Palestinian sources said.

The sources told Xinhua that the Israeli airstrike targeted a house that was occupied by displaced people who had fled their homes because of the ongoing Israeli offensive.

Rescue workers are currently searching for survivors under the rubble while reports of missing persons continue to emerge, the sources said.

Prior to the airstrike, the Gaza-based Health Ministry just updated on Monday the total Palestinian death toll to 21,978 since the conflict in the Palestinian enclave broke out on Oct 7, 2023.