Israeli forces strike militant command centre in Gaza's Jabalia

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) have announced that they carried out an airstrike targeting what they described as a joint Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad command and control centre in Jabalia, northern Gaza.

According to the Israeli authorities, the site was being used by militants to coordinate and launch operations against Israeli civilians and military personnel, Caliber.Az reports, citing IDF.

The IDF stated that extensive measures were undertaken ahead of the strike to reduce the risk to non-combatants. These reportedly included aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, and the deployment of precision-guided munitions.

Despite this, Israeli air raids on Gaza killed at least 40 Palestinians in a day, according to medical sources. The dead include three people in Deir el-Balah and eight others in Gaza City’s Shujayea neighbourhood. Gaza’s civil defence reported retrieving four more bodies from nearby homes.

In a separate attack, an Israeli strike on a school-turned shelter in Gaza City killed at least 13 people overnight. “It’s not just their inability to get to the area,” said journalist Hani Mahmoud. “They lack the heavy equipment needed to remove the rubble and recover the bodies.”

Rescue workers believe at least six victims remain trapped beneath the debris.

By Aghakazim Guliyev