Gaza, Dec 28 (NationPress) At least nine Palestinians have been reported dead and numerous others injured following an Israeli airstrike on a residence in the Maghazi refugee camp located in central Gaza Strip on Saturday, as per Palestinian sources.

Local witnesses and sources stated that an Israeli aircraft struck a house situated on the outskirts of the Maghazi camp with at least one missile.

According to Hussam Al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah city of central Gaza, nine individuals were killed, including both children and women, while dozens of injured individuals were transported to the hospital following the airstrike.

The Israeli military has not issued any comments regarding the attack, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated in a press release on Saturday that Israeli forces commenced operations during the night targeting 'terrorist locations' in the Beit Hanoun area, based on prior intelligence regarding the presence of several terrorists and related facilities.

Prior to the ground forces' entry, Israeli fighter jets, in tandem with artillery fire, targeted 'multiple terrorist sites' in the region, which included gathering points and other facilities associated with the Hamas terrorist organization, according to the statement.

Israel has been engaged in a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza as a response to a Hamas incursion through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and around 250 individuals taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli operations in the enclave has reached 45,484, as stated by Gaza-based health authorities on Saturday.

On December 25, earlier reports indicated that at least 22 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes throughout the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Civil Defence in Gaza, informed Xinhua that Israeli aircraft struck tents housing displaced individuals within the Al-Muhabban school in northern Gaza City.

Rescue teams retrieved at least seven bodies and 25 injured persons from the school following the attacks, which were then taken to a local hospital, Basal reported. Witnesses indicated that the tents were engulfed in flames, with some bodies badly mutilated due to the bombing.

The Israeli military, in a press statement, claimed that an Israeli Air Force aircraft, acting on intelligence, had targeted a Hamas member in the Al-Furqan area of Gaza City. The military asserted that it had taken measures, including utilizing precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence, to reduce civilian casualties.

In Beit Hanoun town in northern Gaza, four individuals lost their lives in an Israeli bombing of a house accommodating displaced persons, while paramedics reported four additional fatalities due to an Israeli bombardment aimed at a group of Palestinians east of Jabalia.