Israel and Gaza on Brink of War as Palestinians Killed and Israelis Attacked

Dozens of Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza and two people were killed in a stabbing attack by a Palestinian in a Tel Aviv suburb, according to Gazan and Israeli authorities. The attacks came amid soaring tensions between Israel and Iran and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, following the killing of Hamas's top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran and the killing of a Hezbollah senior commander, Fuad Shukr, in an Israeli airstrike near Beirut last week.

Key Takeaways:

• At least 30 Palestinians were killed and 16 were missing after afternoon strikes on the Hassan Salama and Nasser schools in Gaza City, where thousands of displaced people were sheltering.
• Hamas militants were using the schools as "command and control centers," according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
• The IDF said it "struck an operative that conducted terrorist activities" in an earlier strike on a camp for displaced people in Deir al-Balah, leaving four people dead and 15 others injured.
• Two people were killed and two others were injured in a stabbing attack in Holon, a southern suburb of Tel Aviv, on Sunday, medical authorities and police said.
• The attacker was identified as a Palestinian man who lived in the West Bank and was shot and killed by Israeli police at the scene.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the "murderous terrorist attack" and expressed condolences to the victims' families.
• Hezbollah and Iran blamed Haniyeh's death on Israel and have threatened to retaliate; Israeli officials have declined to comment on the incident.
• Israel's Air Force "struck the Hezbollah launcher from which the projectiles were launched," the IDF said, and other sites in southern Lebanon.

Statistics:

• At least 30 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza.
• 16 people were missing after the strikes on the Hassan Salama and Nasser schools in Gaza City.
• Four people were killed and 15 others injured in an earlier Israeli strike on a camp for displaced people in Deir al-Balah.
• Two people were killed and two others were injured in a stabbing attack in Holon.
• Approximately 30 projectiles were fired from Lebanon toward Israeli territory, with most being intercepted by air defense systems.
• The IDF reported about five launches from southern Gaza, with air raid sirens sounding in Lachish, Ashdod and Gan Yavne, in central Israel.
• One projectile fell near the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council in Nitzanim, but there were no injuries reported.

Sources:

• Gazan Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal
• Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
• Telegram
• Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital spokesman Khalil Daqran
• Israeli police
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
• Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
• White House deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer
• The Washington Post
• Israeli national emergency service, Magen David Adom
• Hezbollah
• Iran