Israeli air strikes and ground operations targeting the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza have killed at least 51 people, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
Tanks reportedly rolled into parts of the southern city and surrounding areas on Tuesday night, with residents reporting being shot at and heavily shelled.
One injured villager who was taken to hospital told the BBC that “tanks rushed into his village without any warning”.
Separately, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out overnight attacks on Hamas targets at two schools in central and northern Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces said the attack targeted Hamas members operating “in a compound formerly used as a school.” Palestinian media reported that at least nine civilians were killed at a school.
Israel’s ongoing attack on Gaza comes hours after Israel repelled a barrage of missiles from Iran and launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on the same day. It described Tuesday’s operation into Lebanon as a “limited” operation targeting Hezbollah locations.
The Israel Defense Forces have yet to comment on the attack in southern Gaza, which was reported to have occurred at dawn on Wednesday.
But a man in the village of Qizan an-Najjar, southeast of Khan Younis, told BBC Arabic that some of his relatives were killed in the attack.
“Tanks rushed into the area, accompanied by quadcopters aimed directly at us,” he said, speaking at Al-Nasser Hospital, where medical officials also gave an update on the death toll.
Another man at the hospital said: “We were in Chizananajar when suddenly shells from planes and tanks started raining down on us.”
A third man told BBC Arabic: “There was no warning beforehand. We witnessed utter devastation after the rocket was launched from Lebanon. I barely survived; my daughter was injured and my wife suffered head injuries, possibly Can cause vision loss.
Israeli forces also “totally destroyed” houses where displaced families had taken refuge, he said.
The health ministry warned on Wednesday that the death toll could rise, with 82 more people injured in the strike.
On October 7 last year, Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have so far resulted in 41,689 deaths.
Khan Younis, Gaza’s second largest city, has been directly targeted by the Israel Defense Forces several times before, including two large-scale ground operations in August and July 2024.
It was also heavily bombed in the first months of the war in December 2023.
