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

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike on a mosque within the Gaza Strip early Sunday killed no less than 19 folks, Palestinian officers stated, as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Beirut in a widening conflict with Iran-allied militant teams throughout the area.

Israel continues to be battling Hamas in Gaza a yr after the group’s Oct. 7 assault on Israel, and has opened a brand new entrance in Lebanon towards Hezbollah, which has been buying and selling fireplace with Israel alongside the border because the conflict 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 army and diplomatic assist to Israel. Iran-allied militant teams in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have already joined in with long-distance strikes on Israel.

A stabbing and taking pictures assault on the central bus station within the southern Israeli metropolis of Beersheba left one particular person useless and 10 others wounded, in accordance with first responders. Police didn’t determine the assailant however stated they had 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 yr of violent escalation throughout the area.

Israeli forces return to Jabaliya and subject new evacuation orders

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

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

The Israeli army introduced a brand new air and floor offensive in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, dwelling to a densely populated refugee camp courting again to the 1948 conflict surrounding Israel’s creation. It circulated pictures and video footage exhibiting a column of tanks heading towards the realm.

Israeli forces encircled Jabaliya as warplanes struck militant websites inside, the army stated. Over the course of the conflict, Israel has carried out a number of massive operations there, solely to see militants regroup.

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

“We’re in a brand new section of the conflict,” the army stated in leaflets dropped over the realm. “These areas are thought of harmful fight zones.”

Palestinian residents reported heavy Israeli strikes throughout northern Gaza. The Civil Protection — first responders who function below the Hamas-run authorities — stated a number of houses and buildings had been hit they usually weren’t capable of attain them due to the bombardment.

Residents posted concerning the airstrikes and mourned their family members on social media. Imad Alarabid stated in a Fb publish that an airstrike on his dwelling in Jabaliya killed a dozen relations, together with his mother and father. Saeed Abu Elaish, a Well being Ministry medic, stated 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 dwelling in Jabaliya. Anas al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera reporter in northern Gaza, confirmed his loss of life.

The army says it has expanded the so-called humanitarian zone in southern Gaza, urging folks to go there. A whole bunch of hundreds of individuals have already sought refuge in sprawling tent camps there with little in the way in which of meals, water or bogs. Israel has carried out strikes within the humanitarian zone towards what it says are militants hiding amongst civilians.

Practically 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza because the begin of the conflict, in accordance with the Gaza Well being Ministry. It doesn’t say what number of had been fighters, however says a little bit greater than half had been ladies and kids.

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 useless.

Israel bombards southern Beirut

In Beirut, airstrikes lit up the skyline and loud explosions echoed throughout the southern suburbs, generally known as the Dahiyeh, all through the evening, as Israel struck what it stated had been Hezbollah militant websites.

Lebanon’s state-run Nationwide Information Company stated the realm 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 stated. A few of the in a single day strikes set off an extended sequence of explosions, suggesting that ammunition shops might have been hit.

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

Hezbollah stated it efficiently focused a gaggle of Israeli troopers in northern Israel “with a big rocket salvo, hitting them precisely.” It was not doable to verify the declare.

No less than 1,400 Lebanese, together with civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million pushed from their houses in lower than two weeks. Israel says it goals to drive the militant group away from its border in order that tens of hundreds of Israeli residents can return to their houses.

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

Final week, Israel launched what it stated 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 preventing is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong conflict in 2006. 9 Israeli troopers have been killed in floor clashes that Israel says have killed 440 Hezbollah fighters.

It’s not doable to confirm battlefield reviews from both facet.