Israeli airstrike on Gaza mosque kills at least 19 people amid escalating conflict – National

An Israeli strike on a mosque in the Gaza Strip early Sunday killed at least 19 people, Palestinian officials said, as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Beirut in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region.

Israel is still battling Hamas a year after the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and has opened a new front in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which has been trading fire with Israel along the border since the war in Gaza began. Israel has vowed to strike Iran itself after Tehran launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel last week.

The widening conflict risks further drawing in the United States, which has provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Israel. Iran-allied militant groups in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have already joined in with long-distance strikes on Israel.

A stabbing and shooting attack at the central bus station in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba left one person dead and 10 wounded, according to first responders. Police did not identify the assailant but said they were treating it as a terror attack.

The attack came as Israel is on high alert ahead of memorial events marking the Oct. 7 attack, which set in motion a year of violent escalation across the region.

The Israeli military announced a new air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, home to a densely populated refugee camp dating back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. It circulated photos and video footage showing a column of tanks heading toward the area.