At least 26 killed in Gaza as Israeli army launches new incursion in north

Cairo (Reuters): At least 26 people were killed and 93 others wounded when Israeli airstrikes hit a mosque and a school sheltering displaced people in the Gaza Strip early on Sunday, the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said.

Palestinian health officials said at least another 20 people had been killed since Saturday night in northern Gaza, after the army sent tanks into areas there for the first time in months and urged residents to leave.

The Israeli military said it had conducted "precise strikes on Hamas militants" who were operating within command and control centres embedded in Ibn Rushd School and the Shuhada al-Aqsa Mosque, in the area of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

Hamas rejects accusations it uses civilian facilities such as schools, hospitals and mosques for military purposes.

"The mosque has been here for 20 years, and the neighbourhood has displaced people," imam Ahmed Fleet said as he retrieved Korans from the debris. "I was shocked when it was struck."

The strikes came as the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas approaches its first anniversary, and as Israel has been expanding its actions in Lebanon.

Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. It has also displaced nearly all of the enclave's 2.3 million people, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.

The International Committee of the Red Cross urged all parties to ensure all civilians were protected.

"This is a year marked by heartbreak and unanswered questions. Families have been torn apart, with many loved ones still held against their will. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions have been displaced across the region," it said.

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said Israel had struck 27 houses, schools and displacement shelters across Gaza in the past 48 hours.

Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, where Israeli forces have been operating since May.

TANKS PUSH INTO NORTHERN GAZA

The army on Saturday issued new evacuation orders 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 waged attacks from the territory.

Meanwhile, Israeli tanks pushed into the northern Gaza areas of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia overnight, and planes hit several houses, killing at least 20 people, according to medics.

The Israeli military said its forces had encircled the area of Jabalia, 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 the worst nights in many months.

"The war is back," said Raed, 52, from Jabalia, before he and his family left for Gaza City on Sunday.

"Dozens of explosions from airstrikes and tank shelling shook the ground and buildings, it felt like the early days of the war," he told Reuters via a chat app.

The armed wings of Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and smaller factions said fighters were engaged in gunbattles with Israeli forces in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza Strip's eight historic refugee camps.

The Israeli military said its forces were operating in Jabalia to fight Hamas militants, dismantle military infrastructure and prevent Hamas from regrouping.

"Before the start of the operation, the Air Force attacked dozens of military targets to support the manoeuvring forces, including weapons depots, underground structures, terrorist cells, and additional military structures," the Israeli military statement said.

"The operation will continue as necessary, with systematic strikes and the radical destruction of terrorist structures in the region," it added.

It directed residents to head towards a humanitarian-designated area in Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian and UN officials say no place in the enclave is safe, including the humanitarian zones.

Among those killed in north Gaza on Sunday was a local journalist, Hassan Hamad. His death raised to 175 the number of Palestinian journalists killed since Oct. 7, according to the Gaza government media office.