By Israeli airstrikes killed at least 31 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, with nearly half the casualties occurring in northern areas where Israel has intensified a month-long campaign it says aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping.
Palestinian medics reported 13 deaths from separate attacks on houses in Beit Lahiya town and Jabalia, Gaza’s largest refugee camp, which has become the focus of Israel’s latest military offensive. Additional strikes in Gaza City and southern regions, including Khan Younis, killed 18 others, including four children in a single strike, according to health officials.
The Israeli military expanded its northern Gaza operations Sunday, deploying a new army division to Jabalia to reinforce two existing battalions. Military officials claim hundreds of Palestinian fighters have been killed in operations since October 5.
Tensions escalated at Kamal Adwan Hospital near Beit Lahiya when the facility reportedly came under Israeli tank fire, critically wounding a child. Hospital director Hussam Abu Safiya said the attack damaged water supplies, the courtyard, and the neonatal intensive care unit, occurring shortly after a World Health Organization delegation had evacuated some patients.
“While evacuating the wounded is important, it’s more crucial to dispatch specialized medical teams to north Gaza hospitals overwhelmed by casualties,” Abu Safiya said. The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident.
The violence has complicated a crucial polio vaccination campaign. While COGAT, Israel’s Palestinian civilian affairs agency, reported facilitating 58,604 children’s vaccinations in northern Gaza, the Gaza health ministry said military operations prevented thousands from receiving doses in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that one vaccination clinic came under fire Saturday, injuring four children despite an agreed humanitarian pause. “This attack, during a humanitarian pause, jeopardizes the sanctity of health protection for children and may deter parents from bringing their children for vaccination,” he posted on X, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Palestinian officials accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing,” claiming the offensive aims to create buffer zones by emptying northern towns and refugee camps of civilians. Israel denies these allegations, maintaining its operations target Hamas militants launching attacks from these areas.
The conflict, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages, has resulted in more than 43,300 Palestinian deaths and widespread destruction across Gaza, according to official tallies.
In a related development, Israeli forces reported detaining an alleged Iranian operative in Syria who had been gathering intelligence on Israeli troops in the border region.
The latest casualties come as Israeli politics face internal turmoil over suspected leaked classified Gaza documents involving an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, causing particular outrage among families of hostages still held by Hamas.
