Israeli strike hits school shelters for displaced people in Gaza City

Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 17 Palestinians, eight of them at a school housing displaced families in Gaza City, medics said, as the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of a hospital in the north.

Palestinian medics said eight people, including children, were killed at the Musa Bin Nusair school, which housed displaced families in Gaza City.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the strike targeted Hamas fighters operating from a command center embedded in the school. It said Hamas fighters used the site to plan and carry out attacks against Israeli forces.

Also in Gaza City, medics said four Palestinians were killed when an air strike hit a car.

At least five other Palestinians were killed in two separate airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Younis south of the enclave.

Hospital evacuation

In the northern Gaza city of Beit Lahiya, where the army has been operating since October, Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said the army had ordered staff to evacuate the hospital and move patients and wounded people to another hospital in the area.

Abu Safiya said the mission was “almost impossible” because staff did not have ambulances to move patients.

The Israeli army has been operating in the two towns in northern Gaza, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, as well as the nearby Jabalia camp for nearly three months.

Palestinians have accused Israel of committing acts of “ethnic cleansing” to depopulate these areas to create a buffer zone.

Israel denies this and says the campaign in the area was aimed at fighting Hamas fighters and preventing them from regrouping. He said his forces have killed hundreds of militants and destroyed military infrastructure since the start of this operation.

The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they killed many Israeli soldiers in ambushes during the same period.

Mediators have yet to secure a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas.

WATCH | Palestinians reacted to the ceasefire talks earlier this week with cautious optimism:

As ceasefire talks resume, Palestinians in Gaza are cautiously optimistic

Talks to reach a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas have resumed in Cairo and sources close to the talks say a deal could be signed in the coming days. Palestinians in southern Gaza say they hope this round of talks will lead to an end to the war so life can resume.

Sources close to the discussions told Reuters on Thursday that Qatar and Egypt had managed to resolve some differences between the warring countries, but points of contention remained.

Israel launched its assault 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 figures. Israel says about 100 hostages are still being held, but it is unclear how many are alive.

Authorities in Gaza say Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the population of 2.3 million. Much of the coastal enclave is in ruins.