GAZA/JERUSALEM, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 25 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday in a series of Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Civil Defense. The Israeli military stated the strikes were carried out in response to gunfire directed at Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza earlier that day.
Mahmoud Basal, the Civil Defense spokesman, told Xinhua that 11 people were killed in an airstrike on a building in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood of southern Gaza City. The building had been sheltering dozens of displaced families, and the victims included women and children.
Near the Al-Shujaiya junction in eastern Gaza City, two separate strikes killed at least two people and injured 10 others. In Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, at least 12 people were killed, including two children, Basal said.
Basal warned the number of dead could rise as rescue crews work through several affected areas. He said the repeated attacks throughout the afternoon and evening have put more pressure on emergency teams operating with limited equipment and dwindling supplies.
Residents and local sources said the strikes caused panic, particularly in Al-Zeitoun and Al-Shujaiya, forcing some families to flee toward central Gaza City. The situation remains tense as Israeli aircraft and artillery continue operations, raising fears of further escalation.
Israel said it launched the airstrikes in response to gunfire earlier in the day at troops operating in southern Gaza. It said militants opened fire near Israeli forces in Khan Younis, an area still under Israeli control under a ceasefire that began on Oct. 10. No Israeli soldiers were hurt.
"In response, the IDF began striking Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip," the military said, adding that troops will continue operations to "remove any imminent threat."
Wednesday was one of the deadliest days for Gazans since the ceasefire took effect. Since the start of the fragile truce, at least 280 Palestinians have been killed and more than 670 wounded by Israeli fire, according to previous reports from the Gaza health authorities. Nearly 70,000 people have died since the conflict began two years ago.
Also on Wednesday, the Israeli army said it struck weapons storage sites used by Hezbollah's rocket unit in southern Lebanon. It said the sites violated understandings between Israel and Lebanon and that the military would continue to act against threats. Lebanese authorities also reported several airstrikes on targets in the south. At least one person was killed and 11 others injured in Wednesday's strikes.
The surge in strikes followed an Israeli attack on the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on Tuesday, which killed at least 13 people.
"The IDF is operating against Hamas' presence in Lebanon and will continue to act against Hamas terrorists wherever they are," the military said after Tuesday's strikes. ■
