Israeli air strikes and a floor operation focusing on the Khan Younis space in southern Gaza have killed at the very least 51 folks, in accordance with Gaza’s Hamas-run well being ministry.
Tanks reportedly superior into some components of the town and its surrounding space on Tuesday night time, with residents reporting gunfire and heavy shelling.
One wounded man who made it to hospital instructed the BBC “tanks stormed in” to his village with out warning.
Individually, the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) mentioned it had struck Hamas targets situated in three faculties sheltering displaced folks in central and northern Gaza in a single day.
The IDF mentioned Hamas members had been working inside “command and management centres” embedded inside Muscat, Rimal and Bureij Preparatory faculties.
Palestinian information company Wafa reported that at the very least 9 civilians had been killed at Muscat college, within the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza Metropolis, and that six others had been killed on the Al-Amal Institute for Orphans, within the Rimal neighbourhood.
Later, the Al-Amal Institute for Orphans mentioned in a Fb publish that eight folks had been killed and a big quantity wounded, together with kids and ladies, when an Israeli strike hit considered one of its buildings housing lots of of displaced civilians.
Israel’s continued strikes into Gaza got here a day after it repelled a barrage of missiles from Iran and launched a floor invasion into Lebanon. It has described Tuesday’s advance into Lebanon as a “restricted” operation, focusing on websites belonging to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah after a yr of cross-border combating.
The IDF is but to touch upon the strikes in southern Gaza, which reportedly occurred at daybreak on Wednesday.
However one man from Qizan al-Najjar village, south-east of Khan Younis, instructed BBC Arabic a few of his relations had been killed within the assault.
“Tanks stormed into the world, accompanied by quadcopters that instantly focused us,” he mentioned, talking from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the place medical officers additionally gave updates on the loss of life toll.
One other man on the hospital mentioned: “We had been in Qizan al-Najjar when all of the sudden, shells started to rain down on us from planes and tanks.”
A 3rd man instructed BBC Arabic: “There was no prior warning. Following the rocket fireplace from Lebanon, we witnessed full destruction. I barely survived; my daughter is injured, and my spouse has a head damage which will result in imaginative and prescient loss.”
He mentioned Israeli forces had additionally “utterly destroyed” a home the place displaced households had been sheltering.
Gaza’s well being ministry on Wednesday warned the loss of life toll might rise, with one other 82 folks injured within the strikes.
The IDF has launched a number of floor operations focusing on Hamas fighters in Khan Younis – Gaza’s second-largest city space – since December.
The warfare started when Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on 7 October final yr, killing about 1,200 folks and taking 251 others as hostages.
Israel responded with a navy marketing campaign in Gaza that has now killed a complete of 41,689 folks, in accordance with the well being ministry.
