Hadil Al-Shalji

The explosion happened in a mosque in the Wadi al-Dahab neighborhood of Homs.

The area is known to be predominantly made up of members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Islam.

Many hardline Islamists consider Alawites apostates.

An offshoot of ISIS called Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Syrian news agency Sana'a said explosive devices were planted in the mosque.

The same group was accused of carrying out a suicide attack last summer inside a church in Syria, killing 25 people.

The country has seen a rise in sectarian violence since the fall of Bashar al-Assad last December.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this attack represented a, quote, desperate attempt to undermine the country's security.

Hadil Al-Shalji, NPR News.

The United Nations has renewed an appeal to the Israeli government to allow more aid into Gaza today.

warning that Palestinians are, quote, freezing to death.

The UN said that the ruins of buildings are being waterlogged and causing them to collapse and kill families.

Mahmoud Bassal is the spokesperson for the Gaza civil defense.

These buildings are a major nightmare in Gaza, he said, and threaten the lives of thousands of people.

Bassal said unless there's an immediate plan to rebuild Gaza,

This scenario will repeat itself with more bad weather.

He said the main hospital in Gaza City was flooded, ruining some supplies and medical equipment.

Hadil Al-Shalji, NPR News, Tel Aviv.