Israeli Airstrike On Gaza School Housing Displaced People Kills At least 30, Including 15 Children
Israel says Hamas uses Gaza's civilians as human shields by operating within densely populated areas, humanitarian zones, schools and hospitals. Hamas denies the allegation.
At least 30 Palestinians were killed on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel claimed that the attack targeted Hamas militants who were using the compound as a hiding place.
According to a Reuters report, quoting the Hamas-run government media office, 15 children and eight women were killed in the strike in the central town of Deir Al-Balah. Over 100 people were wounded in the attack, the media office and the Gaza health ministry said.
Israel's military said it had targeted militants operating in the area, adding that it had taken steps to reduce the risk to civilians.
Ambulances rushed the wounded for treatment to Al-Aqsa Hospital. Some people returned to the site after the attack to look for their belongings, Reuters reported.
Speaking to the news agency, Um Hasan Ali, one of the displaced people living at the school, said she and her daughter had returned to Gaza a couple of months ago, after her daughter underwent medical treatment in Egypt. Saturday's strike, she added, had left her daughter wounded again and she had been rushed to hospital.
Israel says Hamas uses Gaza's civilians as human shields by operating within densely populated areas, humanitarian zones, schools and hospitals, which Hamas denies, reported Reuters.
In a statement, the Israel military said Hamas used the school compound as a hiding place to “direct and plan numerous attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel”. It added that the “terrorists developed and stored large quantities of weapons inside the compound”.
The airstrike occurred shortly after the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in Khan Younis, reported CNN, adding that Israel had launched a fresh offensive in the area earlier in the week, resulting in dozens of deaths.
US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns is expected to meet Israeli and Egyptian counterparts and Qatar's prime minister in Rome this weekend. Their discussion will focus on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages from Hamas.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that the country’s response to the latest proposal was delivered in Washington on Saturday, ahead of the anticipated meeting. This meeting is part of ongoing efforts to negotiate an agreement to end the war, as Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of causing a stalemate, Reuters reported.
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