Israeli forces bombed a United Nations-linked school in central Gaza, killing at least 40 displaced Palestinians and injuring more than 70.
Officials from the Gaza government media office and the Ministry of Health confirmed the death toll, including 14 children and 9 women, following Thursday’s pre-dawn strikes that hit the al-Sardi school and the houses of the Nuseirat camp.
Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, on Thursday condemned the attack as a “horrible massacre” and said many women and children were among those killed and injured.
The Palestinian Wafa news agency said thousands of displaced Palestinians had taken refuge at the al-Sardi school, linked to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), when it was attacked.
Ismail al-Thawabta, a spokesman for the Gaza government’s media office, said “a large number of dead and injured” were arriving at Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, which had reached three times its clinical capacity.
“This horrific massacre committed by the Israeli occupation is clear evidence of genocide and ethnic cleansing against civilians, including women, children and displaced people in the Gaza Strip,” he told reporters.
The dead and injured were overwhelming the hospital, “which is filled with injured patients three times beyond its clinical capacity,” he added. “This portends a real disaster that will lead to an even greater increase in the number of martyrs.”
“Apocalyptic” violence
The Israeli military confirmed the bombing, saying its warplanes struck a “Hamas compound embedded inside an UNRWA school in the Nuseirat area.” He said the bombings “eliminated terrorists who were planning to carry out attacks” against his forces.
Hamas rejected the Israeli statement.
“The occupation is resorting to lying to public opinion through false and fabricated stories to justify the brutal crimes it has committed against dozens of displaced people,” al-Thawabta told Reuters news agency.
The attack on al-Sardi came as Israeli forces intensified their bombardment of Gaza, even as the United States and mediators continued to work to reach a ceasefire agreement.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said that before the latest attack on Nuseirat, Israeli forces had killed at least 102 people in 24 hours. These included attacks on the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps, also located in central Gaza.
Doctors Without Borders, in a statement released Wednesday, described the situation in Gaza as “apocalyptic.” The group, known by its French acronym MSF, said Al-Aqsa hospital had received 70 dead and more than 300 injured since Tuesday, and the majority of victims were women and children.
“This morning, the smell of blood in the hospital emergency room was unbearable. There are people lying everywhere, on the ground, outside… The bodies were brought in plastic bags. The situation is overwhelming,” said Karin Huster, an MSF manager.
The “crazy escalation of violence” in the Gaza Strip and the closure of the Rafah border crossing – which halted most humanitarian deliveries to the Palestinian enclave – have pushed the health system to the “point of collapse”. collapse,” she said.
“This man-made disaster must end now,” she added.
At least 36,586 Palestinians have been killed and 83,074 injured in Israel’s eight-month-old war on Gaza. The brutal attack, which some countries and UN experts describe as genocide, began after Hamas fighters launched attacks in Israel on October 7 last year, killing at least 1,139 people and capturing some. dozens of others.
Ceasefire talks
However, efforts to end the war have so far made little progress.
William Burns, the director of the CIA, was in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Wednesday to discuss a proposed three-phase truce touted last week by US President Joe Biden. The first phase calls for a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas would release some of the prisoners and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza’s population centers and negotiations would continue for a permanent truce.
Regional and international powers have backed the proposal, but sticking points remain. Hamas insisted on a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Israel, however, rejected these demands, saying it was willing to discuss only temporary pauses until Hamas is defeated.
Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas leader, reiterated the group’s position on Wednesday.
“The resistance movement and factions will treat seriously and positively any agreement based on the comprehensive end of aggression and the complete withdrawal and exchange of prisoners,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the fighting would not stop.
“Any negotiations with Hamas would only take place under fire,” Gallant reportedly said as he boarded a plane to inspect the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
