Dozens killed in Gaza as Israeli army launches new incursion in north

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 terrorists" who were operating within command and control centers 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 neighborhood 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 militant group Hamas approaches its first anniversary, and as Israel has been expanding its actions in Lebanon.

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 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.

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.

Later on Sunday, the Israeli military said in a statement troops operating in Jabalia had killed dozens of Palestinian militants, and located weapons, and explosive devices.

"The troops continue operational activity against terrorist infrastructure and terrorists in the area," the statement said.

Earlier in the day, it said its forces had encircled the area of Jabalia, the focus of its operations.

Reuters