Israeli strikes on Gaza mosque and school kill 26, health ministry says

The Hamas-run wellness ministry successful Gaza says 26 radical person been killed successful Israeli aerial strikes connected a mosque and schoolhouse lodging displaced Palestinians successful the centre of the territory.

Dozens of radical were besides injured successful strikes that deed Ibn Rushd schoolhouse and Al-Aqsa Martyrs mosque successful Deir al-Balah aboriginal connected Sunday morning, according to the wellness ministry.

The Israeli subject said it had targeted Hamas militants operating wrong "command and control" centres astatine the sites.

Videos verified by the BBC from the mosque amusement bodies and humor connected the crushed among the rubble, portion footage astatine the schoolhouse shows the operation connected occurrence and a antheral being pulled retired connected a stretcher.

Earlier, the Hamas-run civilian defence bureau said 21 radical were killed and a ample fig wounded successful the onslaught connected the mosque, according to AFP quality agency.

Sunday's strikes occurred astir precisely 1 twelvemonth connected from 7 October 2023, erstwhile Hamas gunmen attacked Israel, sidesplitting astir 1,200 radical and taking 251 hostage.

Since then, 41,870 Palestinians person been killed and much than 97,000 injured successful Gaza, according to the wellness ministry. It does not differentiate betwixt civilians and fighters.

According to the United Nations, which uses Gaza wellness ministry figures and considers them reliable, 187 radical were killed successful Gaza from 30 September to 4 October alone.

In a connection connected the onslaught connected the mosque, Hamas accused Israel of "bombing citizens' homes and demolishing them implicit their heads, resulting successful the deaths and injuries of dozens".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that "before the attacks galore steps were taken to trim the accidental of harming civilians, including the usage of precision weaponry, aerial surveillance and further quality information."

The IDF accused Hamas of "exploiting civilian institutions and the colonisation arsenic quality shields for violent acts".

Hamas has denied utilizing schools and different civilian sites for subject purposes.

Elsewhere successful Gaza, Israel's subject began to situation Jabalia successful the northbound overnight successful effect to what the IDF said were efforts by Hamas to rebuild successful the area.

The subject said it had struck "dozens of subject targets" earlier and during the crushed operation.

The IDF warned the nationalist that northbound Gaza is "still considered a unsafe combat zone" and published a caller representation connected Sunday showing zones for imaginable evacuation successful the north.

It besides said it had expanded the humanitarian portion successful al-Mawasi successful confederate Gaza.

Both the mosque and the schoolhouse deed connected Sunday are located successful the humanitarian zone.

The IDF said it had re-opened 2 evacuation routes from the northbound to entree the zone.

Israel does not let planetary journalists from media organisations, including the BBC, autarkic entree to Gaza, making it hard to verify the facts connected the ground.