On Sunday, Israeli soldiers killed at least 22 Palestinians, mostly in the northern Gaza Strip. This happened during airstrikes and attacks on places, including a school where people had taken shelter.
Medics and locals reported that at least 11 people died when Israeli planes hit three houses in Gaza City. Nine others died in nearby towns, and two were killed by drone fire in Rafah. Many houses were bombed, and some caught fire.
The Israeli army has been active in these towns for over two months. They stated that the houses in Gaza City belonged to people planning violent attacks and they tried to avoid harming civilians by using precise weapons and watching from the air first.
The military also shared a photo of weapons they found in Beit Lahiya, which included explosives and many grenades.
In Beit Hanoun, Israeli forces surrounded a school where families were hiding and ordered them to leave for Gaza City. During this raid, some people were killed and many others were hurt, while several men were taken away by the army.
The exact number of those killed during the school raid is unclear. The military claimed they struck down many militants and captured some in Beit Hanoun.
Separately, Israel said its air force took out a Hamas command center in a clinic in northern Gaza. The Gaza health ministry said the clinic, which also had mental health services, was destroyed.
Many Palestinians say Israel is trying to push them out of their homes to create a buffer zone, but Israel insists they are only targeting Hamas militants to keep them from regrouping.
They also said they have told civilians to leave dangerous areas for their safety.
The fighting started when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking over 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli officials. In response, Israel launched a ground, sea, and air offensive that has killed nearly 45,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, and forced almost everyone to leave their homes, leaving much of the area destroyed.
Efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to reach a ceasefire have gained some attention, but no major progress has been made yet.