Palestinians cheer Iranian missile attack on Israel hours after Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza
Latest Gaza attacks also come as Israeli forces begin Lebanon ground incursion
WARNING: This story contains graphic witness descriptions of injuries and deaths.
Palestinians in Khan Younis cheered as Iranian missiles were fired at Israel hours after Israeli airstrikes in the enclave killed at least 38 people on Tuesday, according to CBC's videographer inside Gaza.
People watched as what appeared to be missiles were fired in Israel's direction, streaking across the evening sky after the Israeli military confirmed Iran had fired missiles in its way.
"When we saw the rockets, the Iranian [missiles] … cross over Gaza, we became very happy," Mohamed Abu Zaid told CBC News in Khan Younis.
"We always hear [about] the united resistance. This is the first time we see [it]."
Anas Al-Masry also witnessed the missiles headed toward Israel.
"Every day, we are being turned into [victims of] massacres and slaughters, especially in schools and in [areas] where people are displaced," Al-Masry told CBC News.
"When we saw the rockets … one's mind becomes a little bit more calm, that we're striking if they strike."
Earlier Tuesday, six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in western Khan Younis, following other strikes earlier in the day that claimed dozens of lives. The latest attacks in Gaza also come as Israel commences a ground operation in Lebanon, on the heels of devastating Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah's leadership.
Footage captured at the scene in Khan Younis showed a mangled, burnt-out vehicle as people gathered around it, trying to put the fire out and pull the people out of the car.
Hab Al-Din Naqqar was in the area at the time of the strike. He said people who are in the area are displaced and were shopping at one of the stands when the missile hit the car.
"All of a sudden, they struck the car, the body parts of children are on the ground, body parts of civilians on the ground," Naqqar told CBC News Tuesday.
"They were targeted by an airstrike in an area full of humans, of civilians, innocent displaced [people]."
Other attacks Tuesday kill dozens
Another man who was in the area at the time, Shaher Wadi, said he saw a Jeep explode behind him.
"We saw bodies thrown on the ground, bodies burnt, half their heads gone," Wadi said.
"I mean, [it's] one of the ugliest crimes. There is no uglier crime. There was a young child who [medics] pulled out, completely burnt. He doesn't have arms or legs."
Hours earlier, at least 13 people, including women and children, were killed in two Israeli strikes on two houses in Nuseirat, one of the enclave's eight historic refugee camps, Palestinian health officials said.
There has been no immediate comment by the Israeli army on the two strikes.
Another strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinian families in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City killed at least seven people, medics said.
The Israeli military said in a statement the airstrike targeted Hamas militants operating from a command centre embedded in a compound that had previously served as Al-Shejaia School.
It accused Hamas of using the civilian population and facilities for military purposes, which the group denies.
Later on Tuesday, two separate Israeli attacks killed five Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, medics said.
In Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave, seven Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a tent housing displaced people, according to CBC freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife.
Renewed surge in attacks amid rising regional tensions
The armed wings of Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and other smaller militant factions said in separate statements that their fighters attacked Israeli forces operating in several areas of Gaza with anti-tank rockets, mortar fire and explosive devices.
The renewed surge in violence in Gaza comes as Israel begins a ground operation in Lebanon, saying its paratroopers and commandos are engaged in intense fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah. The conflict follows devastating Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah's leadership.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel almost a year ago in support of its ally Hamas in the war in Gaza, which began after the latter group staged the deadliest assault in Israel's history. The Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023 saw 1,200 people killed and more than 250 people taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Israel's ensuing war against the militant group has devastated Gaza, displacing most of its 2.3-million population and killing more than 41,600 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
Some Palestinians said they feared that Israel's shift in focus to Lebanon could prolong the conflict in Gaza, which marks its first anniversary next week.
"The eyes of the world now are on Lebanon, while the occupation continues its killing in Gaza. We are afraid the war is going to go on for more months at least," said Samir Mohammed, 46, a father of five from Gaza City.
"It is all unclear now as Israel unleashes its force undeterred in Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and God knows where else in the future," he told Reuters via a chat app.
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With files from Mohamed El Saife and Reuters