DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza (AP) — Israeli strikes killed more than a dozen people in the Gaza Strip early Friday, as Israel sent more ground troops into the Palestinian territory to ramp up its offensive against Hamas.

Israeli strikes have killed more than a dozen people in the Gaza Strip, as Israel sent more ground troops into the Palestinian territory to ramp up its offensive against Hamas. At least 17 people, some from the same family, were killed after an air strike hit the southern city of Khan Younis, according to hospital staff.

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.