Hamas Radio reported that at least 25 people were killed and 38 wounded in an airstrike on the Tuffah neighborhood northeast of Gaza City, just hours after the Israel Defense Forces dropped evacuation leaflets in the area. The leaflets warned residents to leave immediately, saying the neighborhood was an active combat zone and not safe.
“Hamas systematically violates international law by cynically and cruelly using civilian institutions and the population as human shields for its terrorist operations,” the statement said.
Among the sites struck was the Dar al-Arqam school in Tuffah, which Hamas claims was housing displaced people at the time of the attack.
The surge in strikes came as the IDF continued its broader military campaign, aimed at dismantling Hamas’ infrastructure and returning 59 hostages still held in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attacks.
“We have moved into the next phase of the operation,” said incoming IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Efi Dafrin in his first public statement. “Since fighting resumed, we have struck over 600 terrorist targets and eliminated more than 250 terrorists.”
