A mosque and school were hit in an Israeli strike, killing at least 26 people, the Gaza government media office said

At least 26 people were killed and 93 injured after Israeli airstrikes hit a mosque and a school for displaced people in the Gaza Strip early Sunday, the Gaza government media office said.

Palestinian health authorities said at least 20 more people had been killed in northern Gaza since Saturday night after the Israeli military sent tanks into areas there for the first time in months and urged residents to leave.

The military said it carried out “precise attacks on Hamas terrorists” operating in command and control centers at the Ibn Rushd School and the Shuhada al-Aqsa Mosque in the Deir al-Balah area of ​​central Gaza. At least 19 people were killed at the mosque, according to the Associated Press.

Hamas, which runs the government in the Gaza Strip, denies allegations that it is using civilian facilities such as schools, hospitals and mosques for military purposes.

“The mosque has been there for 20 years and the neighborhood has displaced people,” said Imam Ahmed Fleet as he retrieved Korans from the rubble. “I was shocked when it hit.”

Israel is still fighting Hamas in Gaza, nearly a year after the militant group's Oct. 7 attack, and has opened a new front in Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has united along the border since the war began in Gaza Firefight with Israel. Israel has also vowed to attack Iran itself after launching a ballistic missile attack on the country last week.

The latest attacks add to the rising Palestinian death toll in Gaza. On Sunday, Gaza's Health Ministry reported that at least 41,870 people were killed in Gaza last year. The ministry does not distinguish between civilian and militant deaths but says many of the dead were women and children.

According to Israel, Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage in the Oct. 7 attack. They are still holding around 100 prisoners, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

The International Committee of the Red Cross called on all parties to ensure the protection of all civilians.

“This is a year marked by heartbreak and unanswered questions,” it said. “Families have been torn apart and many loved ones are still being held against their will. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions have been displaced across the region.”

The Gaza government's media office said Israel attacked 27 homes, schools and refugee shelters across the Gaza Strip in the past 48 hours.

Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, where Israeli forces have been operating since May.

New evacuation orders for the central Gaza Strip

The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders on Saturday for parts of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip north of Deir al-Balah, forcing hundreds of families to leave their homes. The military's statement said the forces aimed to crack down on Hamas militants carrying out attacks from the territory.

Israeli tanks entered the northern Gaza areas of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia overnight, with planes hitting several houses and killing at least 20 people, according to medics.

The Israeli military said its forces had encircled the Jabalia area, the focus of its operations.

Ten people were killed in one house in an air strike, and five more in another attack on a second house. Local residents described it as one of the worst nights in many months.

The armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and smaller factions said fighters were engaged in gun battles with Israeli forces in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps.

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The Israeli military said its forces were deployed in Jabalia to combat Hamas militants, dismantle military infrastructure and prevent Hamas from regrouping.

“Before the start of the operation, the Air Force attacked dozens of military targets in support of the maneuver forces, including weapons depots, underground structures, terrorist cells and additional military structures,” the Israeli military statement said.

“The operation will continue as necessary, with systematic attacks and the radical destruction of terrorist structures in the region.”

It ordered residents to go to a designated humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian and U.N. officials say no place in the enclave is safe, including the humanitarian zones.

Local journalist Hassan Hamad was among those killed in northern Gaza on Sunday. According to the Gaza government media office, his death brought to 175 the number of Palestinian journalists killed since October 7.

The air strikes in Lebanon continue

In Beirut, air strikes lit up the skyline throughout Saturday night and into Sunday and loud explosions echoed across the southern suburbs known as Dahiyeh as Israel reportedly struck Hezbollah militant sites. The attacks reportedly targeted a building near a road leading to Lebanon's only international airport, as well as another building formerly used by the Hezbollah-run Al-Manar broadcaster.

The Israeli military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 30 projectiles crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon and some were intercepted.

The military's Arabic-language spokesman issued new evacuation warnings for residents of around 25 areas in southern Lebanon on Sunday, urging them to immediately move north of the Awali River.

At least 1,400 Lebanese – including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters – have been killed and 1.2 million forced from their homes in less than two weeks, according to official figures. Israel says it wants to expel the militant group from its border so that tens of thousands of Israeli citizens can return to their homes.

Hezbollah, Lebanon's strongest military force, began firing rockets at Israel almost immediately after Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, calling it a show of support for the Palestinians. Hezbollah and the Israeli military engage in firefights almost every day.

Last week, Israel launched what it said was a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon after a series of strikes killed longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and most of his top commanders. The fighting is the worst since the month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. Nine Israeli soldiers were killed in ground fighting that Israel said killed 440 Hezbollah fighters.

It is not possible to verify battlefield reports from both sides.