UPDATE 2 - 23 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on northern, southern Gaza

CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE, UPDATES DEATH TOLL, ADDS DETAILS

By Mustafa Haboush

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - At least 23 Palestinians were killed on Friday when the Israeli army targeted homes in the northern and southern Gaza Strip.

Medical sources told Anadolu that the bodies of 18 Palestinians, who were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting their homes in northern Gaza, were brought to Kamal Adwan Hospital.

They also reported that more bodies and wounded are continuing to arrive at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, forcing patients and the wounded to evacuate amidst ongoing military offensives in the region, according to eyewitnesses.

Earlier Friday, army vehicles advanced around the hospital under cover of intense shelling, surrounding the facility.

Intense gunfire and the sound of Israeli artillery shells were heard in the area around the facility.

In another attack, two Palestinians were killed and several others injured when Israeli strikes hit Al-Rafie School, which was sheltering displaced civilians in Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip.

Separately, in southern Gaza, three Palestinians were killed, and others injured in an airstrike targeting civilians in Khirbet Al-Adas near Gaza City.

Israel launched a large-scale ground operation in northern Gaza on Oct. 5 to "prevent" the Palestinian resistance group Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

More than 3,500 people have since been reported dead and missing, according to local health authorities.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 44,500 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi