A strike on a mosque kills 19 as Israel bombards northern Gaza and southern Beirut

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike on a mosque within the Gaza Strip early Sunday killed at the least 19 folks, Palestinian officers mentioned, as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Beirut in a widening struggle with Iran-allied militant teams throughout the area.

Israel continues to be battling Hamas in Gaza a 12 months after the group’s Oct. 7 assault on Israel, and has opened a brand new entrance in Lebanon in opposition to Hezbollah, which has been buying and selling hearth with Israel alongside the border for the reason that struggle in Gaza started. Israel has additionally vowed to strike Iran itself after Tehran launched a ballistic missile assault on Israel final week.

The widening battle dangers additional drawing in the US, which has offered essential navy and diplomatic help to Israel. Iran-allied militant teams in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have already joined in with long-distance strikes on Israel.

A stabbing and capturing assault on the central bus station within the southern Israeli metropolis of Beersheba left one particular person lifeless and 10 others wounded, based on first responders. Police didn’t determine the assailant however mentioned they have been treating it as a terror assault.

The assault got here as Israel is on excessive alert forward of memorial occasions marking the Oct. 7 assault, which set in movement a 12 months of violent escalation throughout the area.

Palestinians look at a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, on Sunday.

Abdel Kareem Hana/AP

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Abdel Kareem Hana/AP

Israeli forces return to Jabaliya and concern new evacuation orders

An Israeli strike in Gaza hit a mosque the place displaced folks have been sheltering close to the principle hospital within the central city of Deir al-Balah. One other 4 folks have been killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter close to the city. The Israeli navy mentioned each strikes focused militants, with out offering proof.

An Related Press journalist counted the our bodies on the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital morgue. Hospital information confirmed that the lifeless from the strike on the mosque have been all males.

The Israeli navy introduced a brand new air and floor offensive in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, house to a densely populated refugee camp relationship again to the 1948 struggle surrounding Israel’s creation. It circulated photographs and video footage displaying a column of tanks heading towards the world.

Israeli forces encircled Jabaliya as warplanes struck militant websites inside, the navy mentioned. Over the course of the struggle, Israel has carried out a number of giant operations there, solely to see militants regroup.

Israel reiterated its name, from the opening weeks of the struggle, for the whole evacuation of northern Gaza. As much as 300,000 individuals are estimated to have remained within the closely destroyed north after earlier Israeli warnings that despatched round one million fleeing to the south.

“We are in a new phase of the war,” the navy mentioned in leaflets dropped over the world. “These areas are considered dangerous combat zones.”

Palestinian residents reported heavy Israeli strikes throughout northern Gaza. The Civil Protection — first responders who function underneath the Hamas-run authorities — mentioned a number of properties and buildings had been hit and so they weren’t in a position to attain them due to the bombardment.

Residents posted in regards to the airstrikes and mourned their kinfolk on social media. Imad Alarabid mentioned in a Fb submit that an airstrike on his house in Jabaliya killed a dozen members of the family, together with his mother and father. Saeed Abu Elaish, a Well being Ministry medic, mentioned he was wounded and bleeding.

“Pray for us,” he wrote on Fb.

Hassan Hamd, a contract TV journalist whose footage had aired on Al Jazeera and different networks, was killed in artillery shelling on his house in Jabaliya. Anas al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera reporter in northern Gaza, confirmed his dying.

The navy says it has expanded the so-called humanitarian zone in southern Gaza, urging folks to go there. A whole lot of 1000’s of individuals have already sought refuge in sprawling tent camps there with little in the best way of meals, water or bathrooms. Israel has carried out strikes within the humanitarian zone in opposition to what it says are militants hiding amongst civilians.

Almost 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza for the reason that begin of the struggle, based on the Gaza Well being Ministry. It doesn’t say what number of have been fighters, however says somewhat greater than half have been girls and youngsters.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 folks within the Oct. 7 assault and took one other 250 hostage. They’re nonetheless holding round 100 captives, a 3rd of whom are believed to be lifeless.

A person appears to be like as smoke rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, early on Sunday.

Hussein Malla/AP

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Hussein Malla/AP

Israel bombards southern Beirut

In Beirut, airstrikes lit up the skyline and loud explosions echoed throughout the southern suburbs, often called the Dahiyeh, all through the evening, as Israel struck what it mentioned have been Hezbollah militant websites.

Lebanon’s state-run Nationwide Information Company mentioned the world was hit by greater than 30 strikes in a single day, the heaviest bombardment since Sept. 23 when Israel escalated its air marketing campaign.

The targets included a fuel station on the principle freeway resulting in the Beirut airport and a warehouse for medical provides, the company mentioned. Among the in a single day strikes set off a protracted sequence of explosions, suggesting that ammunition shops could have been hit.

Israel’s navy confirmed it was hanging targets close to Beirut and mentioned about 30 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.

Hezbollah mentioned it efficiently focused a gaggle of Israeli troopers in northern Israel “with a large rocket salvo, hitting them accurately.” It was not potential to verify the declare.

A minimum of 1,400 Lebanese, together with civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million pushed from their properties in lower than two weeks. Israel says it goals to drive the militant group away from its border in order that tens of 1000’s of Israeli residents can return to their properties.

Hezbollah, the strongest armed drive in Lebanon, started firing rockets into Israel virtually instantly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault, calling it a present of help for the Palestinians. Hezbollah and Israel’s navy have traded hearth virtually day by day.

Final week, Israel launched what it mentioned was a restricted floor operation into southern Lebanon after a sequence of assaults killed longtime Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and most of his high commanders. The combating is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong struggle in 2006. 9 Israeli troopers have been killed in floor clashes that Israel says have killed 440 Hezbollah fighters.

It’s not potential to confirm battlefield reviews from both aspect.