Israeli attack on school in Gaza leaves 29 dead; likely to dampen ceasefire talks

An Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip killed 29 people, mostly women and children, sheltering in tents outside a school in Abassan, east of Khan Younis, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties and claimed to have targeted a Hamas fighter involved in the October 7 attack on Israel with “precise munitions.”

Ismail Al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, reported that Israeli attacks on central Gaza areas killed 60 Palestinians and wounded dozens more on Tuesday. Residents of Gaza City were forced to flee their homes as Israeli tanks advanced into the Tel Al-Hawa, Shejaia and Sabra neighborhoods, shelling streets and buildings. The Israeli military posted evacuation orders on social media for several districts in the east and west of Gaza City.

“We hold the occupation and the US government responsible for the horrific massacres of civilians,” Thawabta said in a statement.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported it received numerous humanitarian distress calls from Gaza City early Wednesday, but was unable to respond due to heavy shelling. Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters claimed to have attacked Israeli forces with machine guns, grenade launchers and anti-tank missiles, causing casualties among Israeli soldiers. The Israeli military did not comment on casualty figures but said its soldiers had been involved in close combat with militants and had neutralized over 150 fighters in the past week while destroying buildings and explosive devices rigged with explosive devices.

The renewed Israeli campaign threatened ongoing ceasefire talks, with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh warning they could “restart” negotiations. Video footage on social media showed families fleeing Israeli evacuation orders through the streets of Gaza City on donkey carts and trucks loaded with mattresses and belongings.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that all of its medical clinics in Gaza City were out of service due to Israeli evacuation orders that have led to the displacement of thousands of people. Independent human rights experts working for the United Nations warned that nine months of war and displacement have led to a hunger crisis and the spread of famine throughout the Gaza Strip, as evidenced by the recent deaths of several children from malnutrition.

In Al-Nuseirat in central Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on a multi-story building killed 17 people, including 14 children and a woman, early Tuesday morning, according to the Hamas press office. Neighbors helped medics and rescue workers recover bodies and search for survivors under the rubble.

More than 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes on various locations across Gaza on Tuesday, bringing the total Palestinian death toll in the nine-month Israeli military offensive to 38,243, according to Gaza health officials. Although Hamas accepted a key part of a US ceasefire proposal last week, hopes for a cessation of fighting have been dampened by the latest escalation.