Palestinian officials say 32 killed in Israeli strikes on southern Gaza

Palestinian medical officials say at least 32 people were killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in southern Gaza. The European Hospital in Khan Younis reported receiving the bodies following heavy bombardments that continued into Wednesday morning.

Hospital staff said the dead included several women and children, while dozens of others were injured in the attacks. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The strikes come nearly a year after Hamas’s October 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people and led to around 250 being taken hostage. Israeli officials say their military operations continue to target Hamas militants, even as fighting has expanded to Lebanon and tensions with Iran have escalated after a missile attack on Israel late Tuesday.

According to Gaza health authorities, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, destroyed large areas of the territory, and displaced most of its 2.3 million residents, many of them multiple times.