Israeli strikes on the Ibn Rushd School and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Mosque in central Gaza killed at least 26 Palestinians, officials said, as Israel intensified its bombing of northern Gaza and southern Beirut as part of its war which extends to the entire region.
The strike hit the mosque and school where displaced people were sheltering near the main hospital in the central city of Deir el-Balah.
Israel said it targeted a Hamas command and control center embedded among civilians, without providing any evidence to support its claims.
The Israeli army, for its part, announced a new air and ground offensive in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, which is home to a densely populated refugee camp dating from the 1948 war that surrounded the creation of Israel. He released photos and video footage showing a column of tanks heading towards the area.
Israel also ordered new evacuations in northern Gaza, which largely emptied during the first weeks of the war when Israel ordered its entire population to flee south. It is estimated that up to 300,000 people remained there despite difficult conditions and heavy destruction.
Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israeli army, said it had expanded the so-called humanitarian zone in southern Gaza, urging people to go there. The area includes vast tent camps where hundreds of thousands of people have already taken refuge. Israel has repeatedly bombed these “safe zones” over the past year.
Palestinian residents have reported heavy Israeli strikes in northern Gaza. The Palestinian Civil Defense said several houses and buildings were hit and could not be reached due to the bombardment.
The latest strikes add to the growing Palestinian death toll in Gaza, which is approaching 42,000, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.