"The exposions were massive' More than 70 killed in latest attacks

More than 70 people have been killed in a series of intensive ground operations and airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces in southern Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said yesterday.

- Malak A Tantesh

Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets across Gaza nearly a year after Hamas's 7 October attack triggered the war in the territory, and even as attention has shifted to Lebanon and Iran.

The health ministry in Gaza said at least 51 people were killed and 82 wounded in an operation in Khan Younis that began early yesterday.

Records at the European hospital show that seven women and 12 children, as young as 22 months old, were among those killed. Another 23 people, including two children, were killed in separate strikes across Gaza, according to local hospitals.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment but has previously accused Hamas of exploiting civilian facilities for military purposes, a tactic the militant organisation denies using.