Israeli strike kills 12, mostly children, in Gaza ‘safe zone’
- The strike hit a house in Mawasi on Gaza’s southern coastline where Israel’s military has said Palestinians should flee to escape the combat zone
- The blast killed a man and his wife, 7 of their children and 3 other children ranging in age from 5 to 14
An Israeli strike flattened a home on Thursday in an area of southern Gaza that the military had declared a safe zone, killing at least 12 people, almost all of them children, Palestinian hospital officials said as Israeli troops pressed their assault in the nearby city of Khan Younis.
Israel’s offensive has focused on Khan Younis, where the military said it has uncovered tunnels used by Hamas and battled fighters from the militant group that attacked into southern Israel on October 7.
Israel has vowed to continue its campaign in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Now an apparent Israeli strike that killed a top Hamas leader in Beirut has stirred fresh fears that the conflict could expand into other parts of the Middle East.
The concerns of a wider war are likely to be high on the agenda as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sets off late on Thursday to visit Israel and other countries around the region.
The killing of Saleh al-Arouri prompted warnings of retaliation from Hamas’ ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. But there was no immediate escalation in the daily exchanges of rocket fire and shells between Hezbollah and the Israeli military over the two countries’ border.