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Israeli strikes reported across Iran, dozens killed in Gaza

Israel targets Iran nuclear reactor as dozens killed in ongoing Gaza offensive
MENA
30 min read
Israel's air war with Iran continues for a seventh day, with strikes reported across Tehran and west Iran, and the Arak nuclear reactor hit

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The Israeli army said on Thursday it had struck an "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak in Iran during overnight raids that also saw the Islamic Republic's Natanz nuclear site targeted again.

A statement said "the nuclear reactor in the area of Arak in Iran was targeted, including the structure of the reactor's core seal, which is a key component in plutonium production". It added that the strike on the site was carried out "to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development".

At the same time, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 72 people on Thursday, including 21 who had gathered near aid distribution sites as famine looms after more than 20 months of war.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that six people were killed while waiting for aid in the southern Gaza Strip and 15 others in a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, where thousands of Palestinians have gathered daily in the hope of receiving food rations. In northern Gaza, Bassal said that nine separate Israeli strikes killed another 51 people, updating earlier tolls provided by his agency.