Israeli Airstrike Kills 19 in Gaza Mosque
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed at least 19 people at a mosque early Sunday, as the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed armed groups spreads across the region. The strike hit a mosque in Deir al-Balah, where displaced people had taken refuge. Palestinian sources said the dead were civilians, but the Israeli military said the attack targeted Hamas combatants who were holed up in the mosque. All of the dead were men, according to records at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital morgue.
Israeli forces also launched air and ground offensives in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp, targeting Hamas fighters while urging civilians to evacuate.
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The widening conflict, which now includes attacks from Iran-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, risks drawing in the United States, which has provided significant military and diplomatic backing to Israel. The war, which began after Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages, has already claimed tens of thousands of lives, primarily in Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a halt to arms exports to Israel, a move sharply criticized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a written statement, Macron’s office said an arms embargo and cease-fire were necessary “to stop the mounting violence, free the hostages, protect civilians and clear the way to the political solutions needed for the security of Israel and the whole Middle East.”
Earlier comments by Macron also supporting a cease-fire and a ban on weapons exports to Israel prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to respond in a video, where he criticized the French president by name, calling the suggestion a “disgrace.”
In response, Macron’s office reaffirmed that “France is Israel’s unfailing friend” and described Netanyahu’s reaction as “excessive.”
