Credits: Al Jazeera
In a devastating incident, at least 30 people have lost their lives and over 100 have been injured following an Israeli airstrike on a school in Deir-al Balah, central Gaza, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The Israeli military stated that the airstrike targeted a Hamas command and control center located within the school compound.
Dr. Khalil Al-Daqran, a spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, reported that most of the victims arriving at the hospital were women and children. The Palestinian Civil Defense noted that the school was sheltering more than 4,000 displaced people at the time of the attack.
The airstrike occurred shortly after the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. This fresh offensive, which began earlier in the week, has already claimed dozens of Palestinian lives.
Residents of southern neighborhoods were instructed to evacuate after warnings from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about imminent military operations in the area.
The conflict in Gaza has been ongoing for months, with Israel facing significant challenges in its efforts to dismantle Hamas. According to Israeli reports, about 100 militants have been killed in recent clashes.
The United Nations estimated that approximately 150,000 people fled Khan Younis on Monday alone, exacerbating the already dire shortages of food, water, and safe shelter.
In a statement on Telegram, the IDF signaled another imminent operation, urging remaining residents of Khan Yunis to evacuate to the designated Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi. However, Al-Mawasi itself has faced repeated Israeli attacks, including a strike on July 14 that reportedly killed 90 people and injured 300.
Israel initiated its military offensive in Gaza on October 7 following a Hamas attack on southern Israel, which resulted in at least 1,200 deaths and over 250 abductions, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, Israeli military actions have resulted in the deaths of 39,258 Palestinians and injuries to 90,589 others, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported. As of early July, nearly 2 million people had been displaced in Gaza, almost the entire population, according to UN figures.
Aid agencies in Gaza have highlighted the severe difficulties in delivering emergency supplies due to the constant evacuation orders.
“People in Gaza are exhausted, living in inhumane conditions, with no safety at all,” the UN Relief and Works Agency posted on X on Monday.
On Thursday, the IDF announced it had recovered the bodies of five Israeli hostages from a tunnel in Khan Younis, an area previously designated as a “humanitarian area.”
Despite the ongoing conflict, US and Israeli officials have expressed hope for a ceasefire and a hostage deal. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated that negotiations are progressing well.
CIA Director Bill Burns is leading the US team in these talks, collaborating with counterparts from Qatar, Egypt, and Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in Washington this week, met with Vice President Kamala Harris, who urged him to finalize an agreement.
“As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done,” Harris said. “So to everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire, and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you and I hear you.”