A series of Israeli airstrikes killed at least 32 people across Gaza City on Saturday as Israel expanded its offensive and urged Palestinians to leave the area, medical staff reported.
Among the dead were 12 children, according to the morgue at Shifa Hospital, where the bodies were brought.
In recent days, Israel has escalated strikes across Gaza City, destroying several high-rise buildings it accused Hamas of using for surveillance. On Saturday, the military said it targeted another tower used by Hamas in the city. It has ordered civilians to evacuate as part of an operation aimed at seizing control of Gaza’s largest urban center, which it says is the group’s last stronghold. Hundreds of thousands of residents remain in the city, many already facing famine conditions.
Overnight and into Saturday morning, one strike in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood killed 10 members of a single family, including a mother and three children, health officials said. The Palestinian Football Association confirmed that Mohammed Ramez Sultan, a player for Al-Helal Sporting Club, was killed along with 14 members of his family in the strikes. Images showed explosions followed by thick plumes of smoke.