Heavy Israeli bombardment has hit much of the Gaza Strip by land, air and sea. Much of it happened in the southern part of the strip, mainly in Khan Younis and Rafah city, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports from Rafah, southern Gaza.

“Overnight, the bombing took place in two parts of Rafah — the central area and Shaboura, a small refugee camp in the south. In Shaboura, two homes were targeted with six people killed, four of them children. More than 10 others were critically injured.

“The worst scenes, however, were in Khan Younis where artillery shelling hit the western side of the city. Thirteen people, the vast majority children, were killed there,” he says.

“It’s important to remember this part of Khan Younis was designated in the early stages of the war as ‘a safe zone’ by Israel for displaced people. Still, it has been repeatedly targeted.

“We’re also seeing a pattern of intense strikes in the vicinity of Khan Younis’s Nasser hospital, where many wounded were taken. Tanks and armoured vehicles are on the main road leading to the hospital,” the reporter adds.