The attacks are reported to have been directed against Dayr al-Balah, Zawaida, and Nuseirat.
The majority of the victims are said to have been killed when several buildings in Nuseirat were bombed. Wafa reports on a second wave of attacks when people rushed to the scene to rescue those who survived the initial attacks. According to the reports, most of the dead are women and children.
Medical sources confirm to Al Jazeera that 47 bodies have been taken to al-Aqsa Hospital in Dayr al-Balah, including a five-month-old baby. In pictures taken by the AFP news agency, relatives say goodbye to the little one, still in his pajamas, and his mother.
We are ready to die. I didn't die today, but I will definitely be killed tomorrow. No place is safe in the Gaza Strip, says witness Abu Mohammed al-Taweel to Al Jazeera.
According to Israel's statement, "several armed terrorists" were identified and killed in central Gaza Strip, reports the newspaper Haaretz.