Israel’s military has carried out a series of air strikes in Gaza that have killed at least 21 people, local officials report.
The attacks on Tuesday came as fighting ramped up across the Palestinian enclave and fresh raids were carried out across the occupied West Bank. The resurgence of violence in the Palestinian territories comes as the world’s attention is drawn to the Israeli military’s assault on Lebanon.
Thirteen people were confirmed killed, including women and children, in an overnight attack on two houses in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, the Wafa news agency reported. Dozens of people were also injured in the attack.
The Israeli military made no immediate comment on that strike, but said in a statement that an air attack on a compound that had previously served as a school in Gaza City had targeted Hamas fighters operating from a command centre.
It accused Hamas in its statement of using the civilian population and facilities for military purposes. Hamas has consistently denied such accusations amid the war that has run since last October.
The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza said that the former Shujayea School was sheltering displaced Palestinian families, and that at least seven people had been killed.
Two other separate Israeli attacks killed five Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City. And in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave, six were killed in a strike on tents housing displaced people, medics said, although the incidents remain unconfirmed.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the armed wings of Hamas, and other smaller militant factions said in separate statements that their fighters had attacked Israeli forces operating in several areas of Gaza with anti-tank rockets, mortar fire, and explosive devices.
West Bank raids continue
The Israeli military also continues to mount violent raids in the occupied West Bank, leading to the arrests of at least 15 people, according to Wafa.
In Nablus, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a 25-year-old man died of injuries after he was shot by soldiers in the thigh and abdomen in the Balata refugee camp.
Meanwhile, the village council of Kafr Nima, via Facebook, called on residents not to send students to school due to the presence of Israeli army forces in the village.
Israeli forces have carried out widespread raids in the West Bank since the war on Gaza began nearly a year ago. At least 719 people have been killed and more than 10,000 arrested since October 7.
Houthis target Israel
As Israel claimed its ground offensive was under way in Lebanon, Yemen’s Houthis have appeared to raise their activity.
The Iran-backed group launched drone attacks at Israeli military posts in Tel Aviv and Eilat on Tuesday, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech.
On Sunday, Israel launched air strikes on Yemen’s city of Hodeidah after the Houthis reported a missile attack on Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport.
Since November, the Houthis have carried out repeated attacks on Israel in solidarity with Palestinians, including strikes on Israeli-linked ships.
Two vessels sustained damage after being hit with missiles and a sea drone off Yemen’s Hodeidah port early on Tuesday, maritime security agencies and sources monitoring the area said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.
