People gather near buildings destroyed after Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
GAZA, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 33 Palestinians were killed in intense Israeli airstrikes across Gaza overnight, Palestinian Civil Defense spokesperson in Gaza Mahmoud Basal said Friday.
In central Gaza, nine Palestinians were killed and 10 others injured in Israeli bombing of a house in the Maghazi refugee camp, whereas 11 people were killed and 20 others injured due to Israeli bombings of two houses and an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Basal told Xinhua.
Eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on three houses in the towns of Deir al-Balah and al-Zawayda in central Gaza, including a journalist, Basal said.
The Hamas-run government media office in Gaza said in a statement that journalist Omar al-Diraoui and his parents were among those killed in an Israeli airstrike on al-Zawayda, bringing the total number of journalists killed since the onset of the Gaza conflict to 202.
In southern Gaza, two people were killed and two others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian gathering in Khirbet al-Adas, north of the city of Rafah, Basal said.
Three others were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian gathering in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood north of Gaza City, he added.
Earlier on Friday, the Israeli military said it has conducted raids on some 40 sites used by Hamas across Gaza since Thursday.
The airstrikes targeted Hamas' command and control centers, as well as gathering points used by Hamas militants who had planned and executed attacks on Israeli troops and civilians, killing "dozens" of militants operated from these locations, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement.
Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.
Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Friday that the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 45,658, with injuries reaching 108,583, as 77 people were killed and 145 others wounded by the Israeli military during the past 24 hours. ■
People gather near buildings destroyed after Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
A man collects an item from the rubble of a building destroyed after Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
A girl is seen among the rubble after Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
Palestinians stand on the rubble of a building destroyed after Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
People gather in front of a building destroyed after Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
A man clears debris on the rubble of a building destroyed after Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
People are seen near vehicles destroyed after Israeli bombardment in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)