At least 30 killed and over 100 injured in an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza, Palestinian officials say

CNN
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According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health (Gaza Strip), Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on a school in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, killing at least 30 people and wounding more than 100.

Israeli forces launched an attack to destroy Hamas’ command and control center inside the compound.

Most of the victims from the school taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after the attack were women and children, according to hospital spokesman Dr. Khalil Al-Dakran. The Palestinian Civil Defense said the school was housing more than 4,000 displaced people.

The attack came shortly after the Israeli army issued new evacuation orders for the city of Khan Younis further south, where Israel launched a new offensive earlier this week, killing dozens of Palestinians.

Residents in southern neighbourhoods were told to evacuate after warnings that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would carry out “forceful operations” in the area.

Fighting has been ongoing in Gaza for months and the renewed offensive shows Israel is struggling to achieve its goal of destroying Hamas. Israel has said about 100 of its fighters have been killed in recent fighting.

The UN estimates that around 150,000 people fled Khan Yunis on Monday alone, increasing pressure on scarce food, water and shelter.

Hinting that a new operation was imminent, the IDF posted on Telegram that it “will soon launch a powerful operation against terrorist organizations and therefore calls on remaining residents of the southern district of Khan Yunis to temporarily evacuate to the coordinated humanitarian area of ​​Al-Mawasi.”

The statement said the move was in retaliation for “large-scale terrorist activities and rocket attacks” that erupted from the southern city of Khan Yunis, adding that areas previously designated for humanitarian assistance would be “adjusted.”

Al-Mawasi has been subject to multiple Israeli attacks, including one on July 14. Reportedly 90 people were killed and more than 300 were injured.

A witness in Khan Younis told CNN he “woke up to screams” as people fled the area following evacuation orders, heard explosions and saw flares in the sky.

Israel launched a military offensive into Gaza on October 7 after Hamas attacked southern Israel, leaving at least 1,200 people dead and more than 250 abducted, according to Israeli officials.

According to the Ministry of Health, Israeli military actions in Gaza have killed 39,090 Palestinians and injured 90,147. As of early July: Approximately 2 million people According to UN statistics, almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip has been forced to evacuate.

Aid groups in Gaza have previously warned that the new set of evacuation orders will make it even harder to distribute emergency food.

“The people of Gaza are exhausted, living in inhuman conditions and completely unsafe,” the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East posted on X on Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday they had found the bodies of five Israeli hostages in a tunnel in the Khan Yunis area, which it had designated a “humanitarian zone” the previous day.

Despite the fighting, U.S. and Israeli officials expressed optimism. this week Regarding the possibility of a ceasefire and hostage agreement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that both sides were “inside the 10-yard line, advancing toward the goal line.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was likely to send a negotiating team to talks in Rome next week.

Netanyahu visited Washington this week and met with Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who urged him to secure the deal.

“As I said to Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier, now is the time to get this deal done,” Harris said. “So to all of those who have been calling for a ceasefire, to all of those who long for peace, I see you, I hear you.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.