Israel orders northern Gazans to leave; airstrike kills 15 near mosque

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military says it is ordering Palestinians living in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate the area “for their own safety.”
In a statement Saturday, the military said it would send messages to residents overnight to leave the area.
Brig. Gen. Motti Almoz, the chief military spokesman, said Israel planned to hit the area with heavy force in the next 24 hours as it steps up an offensive against Gaza militants.
Officials say the area has been used to fire rockets at Tel Aviv.
Medical officials in the Gaza Strip say 15 people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike that attacked a target near a mosque.
Health Ministry official Ashraf Al-Kidra says the airstrike took place just as people were ending evening prayers at the mosque.
It was not clear what the target of the airstrike was.
It was the deadliest single airstrike during Israel’s current 5-day-old offensive in Gaza.