Various areas were hit by Israeli aircraft and artillery, causing extensive damage, the official Wafa news agency reported.

The source explained that the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in the center of the coastal enclave, was the target of Israeli air raids, as well as the city of Khan Yunis, one of the main axes of the army’s ground offensive.

At least 15 civilians were killed and others, mostly women and children, were wounded in recent hours following a bombing of a house in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah.

Numerous casualties were also reported in a similar incident in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

The intensity of the shelling and the fact that many of the roads and infrastructure were destroyed prevented ambulances from reaching the targeted sites and transporting the victims, said a correspondent for Al Jazeera television.

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are forced to live in inadequate conditions, in plastic or nylon tents, while the weather gets colder and there are heavy rains, he said.

The reporter warned that there is a lack of heating, adequate clothing and blankets to keep people warm.

Amid this situation, he noted, “waterborne and infectious diseases are spreading.”

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