In the early hours of Sunday morning, Israeli air strikes targeted a mosque and school in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 24 people and injuries to 93 others. According to Palestinian officials, an additional 20 people were killed in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave since Saturday night, following the deployment of Israeli army tanks into those areas for the first time in months. Residents were urged to seek safety in what the army referred to as safe zones in the south, reported Reuters.
The Israeli military stated that it had carried out precise strikes on Hamas terrorists who were operating within command-and-control centres located in Ibn Rushd School and the Shuhada al-Aqsa Mosque in the Deir al-Balah area of central Gaza. Hamas denies Israeli accusations that it uses civilian facilities such as schools, hospitals, and mosques for military purposes. The strikes on the mosque and the school occurred as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas nears its first anniversary and as Israel has been expanding its actions in Lebanon.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office reported that Israel had targeted 27 houses, schools, and displacement shelters across Gaza in the last 48 hours. They stated, “These attacks are occurring during challenging health conditions in Gaza, where the remaining hospitals are unable to provide adequate medical care as the number of injured and patients continues to rise every day.”
The army issued new evacuation orders on Saturday in parts of Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, just north of Deir al-Balah, forcing hundreds of families to leave their houses. The military statement said its forces aimed to operate against Hamas militants who had launched attacks from the territory.
Meanwhile, Israeli tanks pushed into the northern Gaza areas of Beit Lahiya and Jabilia overnight, and planes hit several houses, killing at least 20 people, according to doctors. The Israeli military said its forces had encircled the area Jabilia, the focus of its operations.
In one air strike, 10 people were killed in one house, and five others in another strike on a second home. Residents described it as one of their worst nights in many months. The Israeli military said its forces were operating in Jabilia, the largest of Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps, to fight Hamas militants, dismantle military infrastructure, and prevent Hamas from regrouping.
Team BharatShakti