At least 24 individuals lost their lives and 93 others were injured when Israeli air strikes targeted a mosque and a school sheltering displaced people in the Gaza Strip early on Sunday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office.
Palestinian health officials reported that at least another 20 people had been killed since Saturday night in northern Gaza, following the deployment of Israeli tanks into the area for the first time in months. The Israeli army urged residents to relocate to what it termed safe zones in the south.
The Israeli military claimed it had executed 'precise strikes on Hamas terrorists' operating within command and control centers embedded in Ibn Rushd School and the Shuhada al-Aqsa Mosque in the Deir al-Balah region of central Gaza. Hamas denies Israeli allegations that it uses civilian facilities such as schools, hospitals, and mosques for military purposes.
These strikes occurred as the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip nears its one-year anniversary, coinciding with Israel's escalating actions in Lebanon. Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel's military offensive in Gaza has led to the deaths of nearly 42,000 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza's health ministry. This offensive has also displaced nearly all of the enclave's 2.3 million residents, exacerbated a hunger crisis, and prompted genocide allegations at the World Court, which Israel refutes.
In a separate development, Israeli tanks advanced into the northern Gaza areas of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia overnight, with planes striking several houses and resulting in at least 20 fatalities, according to medical sources. The Israeli military stated that its forces had encircled the Jabalia area, which is the focal point of its operations. In one air strike, 10 people were killed in a single house, and five others perished in a subsequent strike on another home. Residents described the night as one of the worst in many months.
Palestinian and UN officials assert that no place in the enclave is safe, including the humanitarian zones, where Israeli missiles have struck multiple times. 'The war is back,' commented a Palestinian man from Jabalia before he and his family departed for Gaza City on Sunday.
