Dozens killed in strikes

ISRAELI strikes have killed dozens of people in Lebanon and the northern Gaza Strip, where the military has been waging a major offensive for more than a month which aid groups say has further worsened a humanitarian crisis.

An air strike killed at least 23 people in the Lebanese village of Aalmat, north of Beirut and far from the areas in the south and east of the country where the militant Hezbollah group has a major presence.

Lebanon's health ministry said a further six people were injured.

There was no immediate Israeli comment.

In northern Gaza, an Israeli strike on a home sheltering displaced people in the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya killed at least 17 people, according to the director of a nearby hospital that received the bodies.

Dr Fadel Naim, of the Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza City, said nine women were among the dead and the death toll is likely to rise as rescue efforts continue.