Israel warns of larger Gaza assault over hostages

GAZA'S civil defence agency reported yesterday that the death toll from an Israeli air strike the day before on a house in the north of the Palestinian territory had risen to 23.

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"Civil defence teams recovered 11 bodies last night and this morning following the Israeli bombing that targeted a residential house ... in Jabalia," said Mohammed al-Mughayyir, an official with the agency. “This is in addition to the 12 victims recovered at the time of the attack yesterday.”

Gaza’s northern area of Jabalia has been a focus Israel's military offensive since the start of the war on October 7, 2023 following Hamas's attack on Israel. The military has returned to the district several times, saying Hamas fighters had regrouped there.

In another strike in the area on Thursday, Israel hit what was previously a police station, rescuers said.

The toll from that attack had risen to 11, Mughayyir said, after initially announcing that nine people had been killed.

The military said on Thursday that it had struck a Hamas “command and control centre” in the area of Jabalia.