The number of fatalities has risen to over 20, citing Arab media the Palestinian civil defense. Of these, approximately two-thirds are children and the rest women, it is stated.
However, according to Israel, the attack was directed against militiamen from the extremist Islamist Hamas, who used a refugee camp as a cover to set up a military command center.
The Palestinian sources emphasize that there are thousands of internally displaced persons on site, a former school in Gaza City that has been converted into temporary mass housing.
Israel claims to be trying to avoid civilian casualties in its attacks, but has regularly received harsh international criticism for similar offensives among civilians in Gaza.
