DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on Thursday killed at least 27 Palestinians sheltering at a school in northern Gaza and wounded 70 more, said Health Ministry spokesman Zaher al-Wahidi, as Israeli forces have expanded their strikes and evacuation orders across the war-torn territory in recent days.

In addition, more than 30 Gaza residents were killed in strikes on homes in the nearby Shijaiyah neighbourhood, according to records from Ahli Hospital.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a major expansion of the military’s operation in Gaza involving the seizure of large areas of land that would be “incorporated into Israel’s security zones.

Gaza's Health Ministry says an Israeli airstrike has killed at least 27 Palestinians sheltering at a school in northern Gaza and wounded 70 more.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel is establishing a new security corridor across the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas, suggesting it would cut off the southern city of Rafah, which Israel has ordered evacuated,

Israel made a surprising offer to Hamas, a day after announcing plans to dissect Gaza. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that the war in Gaza could end "tomorrow" if Hamas releases captives and vacates the Gaza Strip.

Germany has facilitated the departure of a group of its citizens and their relatives from the Gaza Strip, the German Foreign Office said on Wednesday. Nineteen German nationals and their close family members crossed into Israel via the Kerem Shalom border crossing in coordination with Israeli authorities.

Over 39,000 children have lost one or both parents in Gaza, new report by the Palestinian statistics agency says.