The Civil Defense in Gaza announced today that at least 24 people have died and 93 have been injured in an Israeli attack on a mosque that had been converted into a shelter for displaced persons in Deir al-Balah, in the central part of the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli military stated that it targeted fighters from the Palestinian organization Hamas. Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmud Basal reported that many of the injured were outside the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city, according to France Press.
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In a statement, the Israeli military claimed it conducted a “precise strike” against Hamas terrorists operating in a command and control center located in a building that previously served as the Shuhada al-Aqsa mosque in the Deir al-Balah region.
The war in Gaza was triggered by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 of last year, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the abduction of over 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip. According to the local health ministry, at least 41,285 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli offensive in response to that attack. The UN considers this casualty figure reliable.
The attack on the mosque occurred early this morning after Israel bombarded Lebanon on Saturday, targeting both Hezbollah fighters and Palestinian Hamas, as reported by the Associated Press. The agency noted that men were killed in the mosque attack.
Thousands of people in Lebanon are fleeing, including Palestinian refugees, as the conflict spreads in the region, while demonstrations are taking place worldwide ahead of the anniversary of the war in Gaza.
Strong explosions were heard around midnight on Saturday and continued today after the Israeli military warned residents of the Beirut suburb of Dahieh to evacuate. Video footage from the AP shows explosions illuminating the densely populated, mostly Shia neighborhoods where Hezbollah is present. The previous day, strikes were sporadic, and reconnaissance drones were almost constantly heard.
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Source: N1
Photo: Reuters/Ramadan Abed