Crisis in Gaza: Air Strike on Mosque Claims Lives

An Israeli air strike on a Gaza mosque killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens. The attack took place near the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah and was part of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, now nearing its first anniversary. The mosque was used to shelter displaced individuals.

An Israeli air strike on a mosque in Gaza early on Sunday resulted in the death of at least 18 individuals and injuries to dozens more, as reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The attack occurred near the Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip's Deir al-Balah region, just as the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave nears its first anniversary. Eyewitness accounts suggest that the number of casualties may rise, as the mosque was being used to accommodate displaced people.

In a statement, the Israeli military claimed it conducted 'a precise strike on Hamas terrorists operating within a command and control center,' embedded in a structure that had previously functioned as the 'Shuhada al-Aqsa' Mosque in Deir al-Balah. The ongoing violence, part of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was ignited when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the death of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of around 250 others. Israel's military response has led to the deaths of nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost the entire population of the enclave, and caused a hunger crisis, amidst genocide allegations at the World Court, which Israel denies.

(With inputs from agencies.)