Israeli airstrikes claimed the lives of at least 21 individuals in Gaza on Tuesday, according to local medics, as hostilities escalated. The Israeli military asserted that it had targeted command centers utilized by Hamas. Palestinian health officials reported that at least 13 people, including women and children, were killed in two Israeli strikes on houses in Nuseirat, one of the eight historic refugee camps in the enclave. The Israeli army has not yet commented on these specific strikes.
Another strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinian families in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City resulted in the deaths of at least seven people, according to medics. The Israeli military stated that the air strike targeted Hamas militants operating from a command center within a compound that previously served as Al Shejaia School. The military accused Hamas of using civilian populations and facilities for military purposes, a claim Hamas denies.
The armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other smaller militant factions separately announced that their fighters had attacked Israeli forces in various areas of Gaza with anti-tank rockets, mortar fire, and explosive devices. This surge in violence coincides with Israel's invasion into Lebanon, where its paratroopers and commandos are engaged in intense combat with Hezbollah. This conflict follows devastating Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah's leadership.
The invasion into Lebanon marks an escalation in the Middle Eastern conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militants, potentially drawing in the US and Iran. Hezbollah began launching rockets into Israel nearly a year ago in support of its ally Hamas during the war in Gaza, which commenced after Hamas carried out the deadliest assault in Israel's history on October 7. This assault, in which Israel claims 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, triggered the war that has devastated Gaza, displacing most of its 2.3 million population and resulting in the deaths of more than 41,600 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
Some Palestinians fear that Israel's focus on Lebanon could prolong the conflict in Gaza, which is set to mark its first anniversary next week. 'The eyes of the world are now on Lebanon while the occupation continues its killing in Gaza. We are afraid the war is going to go on for more months at least,' said Samir Mohammed, a 46-year-old father of five from Gaza City. 'It is all unclear now as Israel unleashes its force undeterred in Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and God knows where else in the future,' he told Reuters via a chat app.
