Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip resulted in the deaths of at least 17 Palestinians, including eight individuals at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City, according to local medics. The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of a hospital in northern Gaza amid ongoing operations.
The airstrike on the Musa Bin Nusayr School, which was housing displaced families, killed eight people, including children. The Israeli military stated that the strike targeted Hamas militants who were allegedly using the school as a command center to plan attacks against Israeli forces.
In addition to the school strike, medics reported that four Palestinians were killed when an airstrike hit a vehicle in Gaza City. Further casualties included five others who died in separate airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Younis, located in the southern part of the enclave.
In Beit Lahiya, a northern Gaza town where Israeli forces have been active for nearly three months, Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, reported that the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of the hospital. He described the task as “next to impossible” due to insufficient ambulances to transport patients and the injured to another facility.
The Israeli military has been conducting operations in northern Gaza, including Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun, and the Jabalia camp, since October. Palestinians have accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” to depopulate these areas and create a buffer zone, a claim that Israel denies. The Israeli government asserts that its military campaign is focused on combating Hamas militants and preventing their regrouping, claiming to have killed hundreds of militants and dismantled significant military infrastructure.
Meanwhile, armed factions of Hamas and Islamic Jihad have reported killing numerous Israeli soldiers in ambushes during the ongoing conflict. Efforts by mediators, including Qatar and Egypt, to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have yet to yield results, with sources indicating that while some differences have been resolved, significant sticking points remain.
The escalation of violence follows a Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of over 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources. Israeli authorities claim that approximately 100 hostages are still being held, though the status of many remains uncertain.
In Gaza, authorities report that Israel’s military campaign has resulted in over 45,000 Palestinian deaths and has displaced a significant portion of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents, leaving much of the area in ruins.
