At least 57 dead in Israeli attacks in Gaza, Palestinian health officials say

CAIRO/GAZA, July 16 (Reuters) – Israeli forces clashed with Hamas-led militants in several parts of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, with Palestinian health officials saying at least 57 people were killed in Israeli bombardments of the southern and central areas.

In Rafah, a southern border town where Israeli forces have been operating since May, five Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on a house, Gaza health officials said. In nearby Khan Younis, a man, his wife and two children were killed, they said.

Later Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike on a car in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 17 Palestinians and wounded 26 others, officials said.

The airstrike hit near a campsite with displaced families on Attar Street in the Al-Mawasi humanitarian aid area, the Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military said the attack targeted a senior fighter from the Islamic Jihad group, an ally of Hamas.

“We are investigating reports that several civilians were injured as a result of the attack,” the military statement said.

Reuters footage showed residents carrying the bodies of the dead and injured to hospitals on donkey carts and rickshaws.

“The car was attacked, blood splattered, shrapnel hit our tents and martyrs were left on the road. We shouted, ‘We need an ambulance.’ We loaded (the injured) onto carts and rickshaws and the ambulance came after a while,” said eyewitness Tahrir Matir, who lives in a tent nearby.

UN SCHOOL ALSO AFFECTED

At least four Palestinians were killed in artillery fire and air strikes in the historic Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, medics said. An Israeli air strike in Sheikh Zayed in northern Gaza also killed four people, it said.

Hours later, an Israeli airstrike on a UN-run school in the Nuseirat camp housing displaced families killed 23 people and injured scores more, health officials said.

Among those killed was local journalist Mohammad Meshmesh, bringing the number of journalists killed in the conflict to 160, the Hamas-run government media office in the Gaza Strip said.

“Where is the security for the (UN) schools? There are no safe schools anymore, no safe clinics, no safe houses, no safe streets. We are abandoned, displaced and destroyed,” said eyewitness Umm Omar Ahmed in the Nuseirat camp.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it had attacked a group of “terrorists” operating from inside the school after taking measures to reduce the danger to civilians.

Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas after its militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage in an attack on communities in southern Israel on October 7, Israeli figures showed.

On Tuesday, the military said it had eliminated half of the leadership of Hamas’ military wing; around 14,000 fighters have been killed or captured since the war began.

At least 38,713 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive since then, Gaza health authorities said in their latest update on Tuesday. Israel also says 326 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza.

Relatives visited Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, to say goodbye to their loved ones before the funeral.

“We are exhausted… we are extremely tired, our patience is at an end,” said elderly Palestinian Sahar Abu Emeira. “Whether Hamas or the others (Israel), they must agree as soon as possible.”

Conversations interrupted

A Palestinian official close to the negotiations told Reuters that despite increased Israeli attacks, it was very important for Hamas not to give the impression that it was breaking off the talks.

“Hamas wants to end the war, but not at any cost. It says it has shown the necessary flexibility and is urging mediators to persuade Israel to act accordingly,” the official said.

He said Hamas was convinced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to prevent an agreement by imposing further conditions that would restrict the return of displaced people to northern Gaza and maintain control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Monday that two senior advisers to Netanyahu had said Israel remained interested in a ceasefire.

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A senior correspondent with nearly 25 years of experience covering the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including several wars and the signing of the first historic peace agreement between the two sides.