30 Palestinians killed as Israel strikes building in Gaza, 266 dead in 24 hours

At least 30 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a residential building in Gaza, according to Palestinian media on Monday.

The building was located in the al-Shuhada area of the Jabalia refugee camp. The report said the strike levelled the building to the ground and also destroyed a number of neighbouring houses.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry said 266 Palestinians, including 117 children, had been killed by Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours in the enclave.

Health authorities in Gaza said at least 4,600 people were killed in Israel’s two-week bombardment that began on October 7 after the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israeli communities in which 1,400 people were killed.

Meanwhile, amid fears that the Israel-Hamas war could escalate into a wider Middle East conflict, the Israeli military said it struck two Hezbollah cells in Lebanon early on Monday that were planning to launch anti-tank missiles and rockets toward Israel.

Hezbollah said one of its fighters was killed, without providing details.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that if Hezbollah enters the war, it would lead to the “Second Lebanon War” and the group would be making the “mistake of its life”.

In neighbouring Syria, Israeli missiles hit Damascus and Aleppo international airports on Sunday, putting both out of service and killing two workers, reported Syrian state media.

In the south, the Israeli military said one of its tanks accidentally hit an Egyptian position near the border with the Gaza Strip. A spokesperson for the Egyptian army said several Egyptian border guards sustained minor injuries in the incident which took place on Sunday.