Israeli airstrikes hit a school being used by displaced Palestinians in central Gaza on Saturday, resulting in at least 30 deaths, including several children, and more than 100 injuries, including serious cases. The private school in Deir al-Balah had become a refuge for those displaced by the ongoing conflict. Israel’s military claimed that the target was a Hamas command centre used for directing attacks against Israeli troops and storing weapons, but Hamas disputed this claim. Civil defence workers reported that thousands had sought shelter in the school, which also housed a medical site.
The attack occurred as negotiators from the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Israel prepared to discuss a proposed ceasefire. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues, with over 180,000 Palestinians forced to flee during intense fighting in the Khan Yunis area. The World Health Organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians and health workers. He said on X that he was deeply concerned for the safety of civilians and patients in Deir al-Balah, following recent reports of airstrikes in areas where many displaced people have sought refuge.
In terms of efforts to reach a deal, the American website Axios reported on Friday that the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, will meet on Sunday in Rome with the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the Director of the Israeli Mossad, David Barnea, and the head of Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel, to discuss a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners and detainees.
On the ground, the Jerusalem Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, confirmed that it had taken control of an Israeli occupation drone, an “Ivo Max,” during its intelligence missions in the skies over eastern Khan Yunis.
For its part, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), said it targeted an Israeli occupation troop carrier with several soldiers around it in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood south of Gaza City with a “Yassin 105” shell. In a statement, Al-Qassam confirmed that the attack resulted in casualties among the enemy forces.
The Al-Qassam Brigades also stated that a group of its fighters clashed with an Israeli ground force using machine guns and hand grenades, resulting in casualties among the enemy in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood south of Gaza City. It added: “As soon as the rescue forces arrived at the scene, we targeted them with an anti-personnel ‘TBG’ shell and clashed with them using machine guns, causing casualties among the rescue forces as well.”
