At least 17 Palestinians were killed in an attack by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip, eight of them at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City, medics said, after Israeli forces ordered the evacuation of a hospital in the north.
Palestinian medics said eight people, including children, were killed at the Musa bin Nusser school, which shelters displaced families in Gaza City.
The Israeli military said in a statement that the attack targeted Hamas fighters operating from a command center embedded inside the school. Hamas fighters are said to have used the site to plan and execute attacks on Israeli forces.
Also in Gaza City, medics said four Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on a car.
Israel denies this, saying the operation in the region is aimed at fighting Hamas militants and preventing them from regrouping. (Reuters)
At least five other Palestinians were killed in two separate airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Yunis, south of the enclave.
In the northern Gaza city of Beit Lahiya, where the army has operated since October, Hussam Abu Safia, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, said the army had ordered staff to evacuate the hospital and take the sick and wounded to another hospital in the area.
Abu Safia said the mission was “next to impossible” because staff did not have ambulances to transport patients.
The Israeli army has been operating in the two northern Gaza towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun and the nearby Jabaliya camp for nearly three months.
Palestinians have accused Israel of committing acts of “ethnic cleansing” to clear those areas to create a buffer zone.
Israel denies this, saying the operation in the region is aimed at fighting Hamas militants and preventing them from regrouping. Its forces have said they have killed hundreds of militants and destroyed military infrastructure since the campaign began.
The Israeli army has been operating in the two northern Gaza towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun and the nearby Jabaliya camp for nearly three months. (Reuters)
Hamas and the armed wings of Islamic Jihad said they killed several Israeli soldiers in attacks during the same period.
Mediators have not been able to secure a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas.
Sources close to the talks told Reuters on Thursday that Qatar and Egypt had been able to resolve some differences between the warring parties but that sticking points remained.
Israel launched its offensive on Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli estimates. Israel says about 100 hostages are still in custody, but it is unclear how many are alive.
Gaza officials say Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians and displaced most of its 2.3 million population. Most of the coastal areas are in ruins.
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