A strike on a mosque kills 19 as Israel bombards northern Gaza and southern Lebanon

Palestinians search for survivors and bodies in the rubble of a mosque destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for survivors and bodies in the rubble of a mosque destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Abdel Kareem Hana

Israeli soldiers pray at a staging area in northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Israeli soldiers pray at a staging area in northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner) Baz Ratner

Palestinians search for survivors and bodies in the rubble of a mosque destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for survivors and bodies in the rubble of a mosque destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Abdel Kareem Hana

Palestinians examine a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians examine a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Abdel Kareem Hana

Palestinians examine a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians examine a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Abdel Kareem Hana

Charred cars at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Charred cars at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Bilal Hussein

Firefighters extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Firefighters extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Bilal Hussein

People check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Bilal Hussein

Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner) Baz Ratner

Palestinians examine a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians examine a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Abdel Kareem Hana

Palestinians examine a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday.

Palestinians examine a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday. AP

Smoke rises from a destroyed building at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Smoke rises from a destroyed building at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Bilal Hussein

Palestinians carry the body of a person who was found under the rubble of a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians carry the body of a person who was found under the rubble of a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Abdel Kareem Hana

An Israeli soldier looks at the scene of a stabbing and shooting attack where Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said one person was killed and several others were wounded in Beersheba, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

An Israeli soldier looks at the scene of a stabbing and shooting attack where Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said one person was killed and several others were wounded in Beersheba, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) Tsafrir Abayov

Police officers examine the scene of a stabbing and shooting attack where Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said one person was killed and several others were wounded in Beersheba, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Police officers examine the scene of a stabbing and shooting attack where Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said one person was killed and several others were wounded in Beersheba, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) Tsafrir Abayov

A man walks past a crater caused by an Israeli airstrike that hit a seaside coffee shop in Ghaziyeh town, south Lebanon, Sunday Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

A man walks past a crater caused by an Israeli airstrike that hit a seaside coffee shop in Ghaziyeh town, south Lebanon, Sunday Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari) Mohammad Zaatari

Peopls visit the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Peopls visit the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) Ohad Zwigenberg

Israeli soldiers carry the flag-draped casket of Sgt. First Class Nazar Itkin, who was killed during Israel's ground operation against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, during his funeral in Kiryat Ata, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Israeli soldiers carry the flag-draped casket of Sgt. First Class Nazar Itkin, who was killed during Israel's ground operation against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, during his funeral in Kiryat Ata, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner) Baz Ratner

Palestinians carry an injured man from a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians carry an injured man from a destroyed mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Abdel Kareem Hana

Journalists and residents run for cover following an Israeli airstrike in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Journalists and residents run for cover following an Israeli airstrike in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Hassan Ammar

Palestinians search for survivors and bodies in the rubble of a mosque destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians search for survivors and bodies in the rubble of a mosque destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Abdel Kareem Hana

Mourners gather around the bodies of Palestinian men who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mourners gather around the bodies of Palestinian men who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Abdel Kareem Hana

Emergency workers inspect a building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Emergency workers inspect a building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Bilal Hussein

A man looks as smoke rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A man looks as smoke rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) Hussein Malla

An Israeli soldier prays at a staging area in northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

An Israeli soldier prays at a staging area in northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner) Baz Ratner

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY

Associated Press

Published: 10-07-2024 8:46 AM

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — 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 Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region.

Israel still battles Hamas a year after the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and has opened a new front in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which has traded 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 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 said the woman killed was a border police officer. They did not identify the assailant but said they were treating it as a terror attack.

Israel is on high alert ahead of memorial events for the Oct. 7 attack, while rallies continue around the world marking the anniversary.

The Israeli strike hit a mosque where displaced people sheltered near the main hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah. Another four were killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter near the town. The Israeli military said both strikes targeted militants, without providing evidence.

An Associated Press journalist counted the bodies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital morgue. Hospital records showed that those killed at the mosque were all men.

The Israeli military announced a new air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, home to a refugee camp dating back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. Israel has carried out several large operations there during the past year, only to see militants regroup.

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The military said three soldiers were severely wounded in Sunday’s fighting in northern Gaza.

Israel reiterated its call, from the early weeks of the war, for the complete evacuation of northern Gaza. Up to 300,000 people are estimated to have remained in the heavily destroyed north while around a million fled to the south.

“We are in a new phase of the war,” the military said in leaflets dropped over the area. “These areas are considered dangerous combat zones.” A later statement said three projectiles were identified crossing from northern Gaza into Israeli territory, with no injuries reported.

Palestinians reported heavy Israeli strikes. The Civil Defense — first responders operating under the Hamas-run government — said it recovered three bodies, including a woman and a child, after a strike hit a home in the Shati refugee camp.

Residents mourned relatives. Imad Alarabid said on Facebook an airstrike on his Jabaliya home killed a dozen family members, including his parents. Saeed Abu Elaish, a Health Ministry medic, said he was wounded.

“Pray for us,” he wrote on Facebook.

Hassan Hamd, a freelance TV journalist whose footage had aired on Al Jazeera, was killed in shelling on his home in Jabaliya. Anas al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera reporter in northern Gaza, confirmed his death.

Israel’s military says it has expanded the so-called humanitarian zone in southern Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people have sought refuge in sprawling tent camps there with little food, water or toilets. Israel has carried out strikes in the zone against what it says are militants hiding among civilians.

Nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It does not say how many were fighters, but says a little over half were women and children.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in the Oct. 7 attack and took another 250 hostage. They still hold around 100 captives, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel bombards southern Beirut

In Beirut, airstrikes lit up the skyline and explosions echoed across the southern suburbs, known as the Dahiyeh, overnight as Israel struck what it said were Hezbollah militant sites.

It was the heaviest bombardment since Sept. 23, when Israel escalated its air campaign. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the area was hit by more than 30 strikes.

“Yesterday was a tragic night; it was very difficult. All of us in Beirut could hear everything,” resident Haytham Al-Darazi said. Another resident, Maxime Jawad, called it “a night of terror.”

Targets included a gas station on the main highway leading to the Beirut airport and a warehouse for medical supplies, the news agency said. Some strikes set off a series of explosions, suggesting that ammunition stores were hit.

Israel’s military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 130 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.

Hezbollah said it successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers in northern Israel “with a large rocket salvo, hitting them accurately.”

It is not possible to verify battlefield reports from either side.

At least 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million driven from their homes in less than two weeks. Israel says it aims to drive the militant group away from its border so that tens of thousands of Israeli citizens can return home.

Hezbollah, the strongest armed force in Lebanon, began firing rockets into Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, calling it a show of support for the Palestinians. Hezbollah and Israel’s military have traded fire almost daily.

Last week, Israel launched what it said was a limited ground operation into southern Lebanon after a series of attacks killed longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and most of his top commanders. The fighting is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006. Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in ground clashes that Israel says have killed 440 Hezbollah fighters.

Macron seeks partial arms embargo on Israel

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday reiterated his call for a partial arms embargo on Israel — a demand that prompted an angry response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In a statement, Macron’s office said he favors a halt to arms exports for use in Gaza because a cease-fire is needed to stop the mounting violence and “clear the way to the political solutions needed for the security of Israel and the whole Middle East.”

Macron’s earlier, similar remarks led Netanyahu to release a statement in which he referred to such calls as a “disgrace.”

Macron’s office insisted that “France is Israel’s unfailing friend” and called Netanyahu’s remarks “excessive.”

Samy Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.