A series of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have left dozens dead, Palestinian media reported on Thursday.
At least 15 people were killed in Jabaliya in the north of the blockaded coastal strip when a building sheltering displaced persons was hit, according to the news agency WAFA.
WAFA also reported multiple other deadly strikes, including in Gaza City. Citing medics, the agency said a total of 52 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since early morning.
The Israeli military said it targeted a command and control center used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants in Jabaliya. The military stated the facility was used to plan and coordinate attacks on Israeli civilians and said precautions were taken to minimize harm to non-combatants.
The claims from both sides could not be independently verified.
The ongoing war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 hostages taken to Gaza.
Since then, more than 51,300 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run health authority.
IDF general warns of expanded operation
Also on Thursday, the chief of the general staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Eyal Zamir, warned of an expanded military operation in Gaza if there is no progress in securing the return of hostages held by Hamas.
“If we do not see progress in the return of the hostages, we will expand our activities into a more intense and significant operation until we reach a decisive outcome,” he said during a visit to troops in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, a military statement said.
“Hamas is mistaken about our capabilities, our intentions, and our determination,” he added.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz recently echoed similar threats, stating that the longer Hamas withholds the hostages, the more severe Israel’s strikes would become.
Katz also suggested that Israel could permanently occupy parts of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli authorities believe 24 hostages are still alive in the Gaza Strip, while Hamas and its allies hold the bodies of 35 others.
Palestinians hose down hotspots as they clean up the residue of tents destroyed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Palestinians inspect the area among the rubbles of destroyed buildings following the Israeli attack on Dahliz family killing 3 people including 1 child, in Khan Yunis. Doaa El-Baz/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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