Apparent Israeli airstrike on Gaza mosque kills at least 18

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — 

An evident Israeli airstrike aboriginal Sunday killed astatine slightest 18 radical successful cardinal Gaza, Palestinian aesculapian officials said.

The onslaught deed a mosque sheltering displaced radical adjacent the al-Aqsa Martyrs infirmary successful the municipality of Deir al-Balah, the infirmary said successful a statement.

An Associated Press writer counted the bodies astatine the infirmary morgue. Hospital records showed that the dormant were each men. Another 2 men were critically wounded, the infirmary said.

The Israeli subject did not instantly remark astir the onslaught connected the mosque.

The latest strikes adhd to the mounting Palestinian decease toll successful Gaza, which is nearing 42,000, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate betwixt civilian and militant deaths, but galore of the dormant were women and children.

The onslaught aboriginal Sunday came aft Israel bombarded Lebanon connected Saturday arsenic it targeted some Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.

Thousands of radical successful Lebanon, including Palestinian refugees, continued to fly the widening struggle successful the region, portion rallies were held astir the satellite marking the approaching day of the commencement of the warfare successful Gaza.

The beardown explosions Saturday began adjacent midnight and continued into Sunday aft Israel's subject urged residents to evacuate areas successful Dahiyeh, the predominantly Shiite postulation of suburbs connected Beirut's confederate edge. AP video showed the blasts illuminating the densely populated suburbs, wherever Hezbollah has a beardown presence. They followed a time of sporadic strikes and the astir continuous buzz of reconnaissance drones.

Israel's subject confirmed it was striking targets adjacent Beirut and said astir 30 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with immoderate intercepted.

The strikes reportedly targeted a gathering adjacent a roadworthy starring to Lebanon's lone planetary airport, and different gathering formerly utilized by the Hezbollah-run broadcaster Al-Manar. Social media reports claimed that 1 of the strikes deed an oxygen vessel retention facility, but this was aboriginal denied by the proprietor of the company.

Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah claimed successful a connection that it successfully targeted a radical of Israeli soldiers adjacent the Manara colony successful bluish Israel "with a ample rocket salvo, hitting them accurately."

On Saturday, Israel's onslaught connected the bluish Beddawi campy killed an authoritative with Hamas' subject helping on with his woman and 2 young daughters, the Palestinian militant radical said. Hamas aboriginal said different subject helping subordinate was killed successful Israeli strikes successful Lebanon's eastbound Bekaa Valley. The aftermath showed smashed buildings, scattered bricks and stairways to nowhere.

Israel has killed respective Hamas officials successful Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas warfare began , successful summation to astir of the apical enactment of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah arsenic warring has sharply escalated.

At slightest 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, person been killed and 1.2 cardinal driven from their homes successful little than 2 weeks. Israel says it aims to thrust the militant radical distant from shared borders truthful displaced Israelis tin instrumentality to their homes.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the strongest equipped unit successful Lebanon, began firing rockets into Israel astir instantly aft Hamas' October 7 attack, calling it a amusement of enactment for the Palestinians. Hezbollah and Israel's subject person traded occurrence astir daily.

Last week, Israel launched what it called a constricted crushed cognition into confederate Lebanon aft a bid of attacks killed longtime Hezbollah person Hassan Nasrallah and others. The warring is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a little warfare successful 2006. Nine Israeli soldiers person been killed successful the crushed clashes that Israel says person killed 440 Hezbollah fighters.

Iran's overseas minister, Abbas Araghchi, told reporters successful Damascus that "we are trying to scope a cease-fire successful Gaza and successful Lebanon." The curate said the unnamed countries putting guardant initiatives see determination states and immoderate extracurricular the Middle East.

Araghchi spoke a time aft the ultimate person of Iran praised its caller rocket strikes connected Israel and said it was acceptable to bash it again if necessary.

On Saturday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "Israel has the work and the close to support itself and respond to these attacks, and it volition bash so." On Lebanon, helium said "we are not done yet."