AN ISRAELI strike on a residential building in the Gaza Strip today killed at least 14 people, mostly women and children, according to health officials.

The latest Israeli killing spree came a day after climate activist Greta Thunberg joined an aid ship heading to Gaza to break Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

The Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals confirmed the toll from the strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, saying five women and seven children were among those killed.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militant group is entrenched in populated areas.

Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and other 11 activists set sail on Sunday afternoon for Gaza on a ship aimed at “breaking Israel’s siege” of the devastated territory, organisers said.

Among those aboard the Madleen are Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent. She has been barred from entering Israel due to her active opposition to the Israeli assault on Gaza.

The sailing boat Madleen, operated by activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departed from the Sicilian port of Catania, in southern Italy.

It will try to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip in an effort to bring in some aid and raise “international awareness” over the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the activists said at a press conference on Sunday, ahead of departure.

Ms Thunberg said: “We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying.

“Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide.”

In mid-May, Israel allowed a limited amount of humanitarian aid into the territory despite the growing evidence of famine.

United Nations agencies and major aid groups say Israeli restrictions make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza’s roughly two million Palestinians.

Another activist on board the Madleen, Thiago Avila, said: “We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that’s part of a broader strategy of mobilisations that will also attempt to break the siege by land.”

Mr Avila cited the planned Global March to Gaza which is set to leave Egypt and reach the Rafah crossing in mid-June.