Key points
- An Israeli attack on a school in a refugee camp in Gaza has killed at least 17 people, many of them children.
- The Israeli military said the attack targeted Hamas militants inside the school, but provided no evidence.
- It is the other in a long series of attacks that have damaged or destroyed nearly 85% of Gaza’s schools.
An Israeli attack on a school in the central Gaza Strip has killed at least 17 people, many of whom were children, Palestinian health officials say.
According to the Awda hospital, which welcomed the victims, 42 people were also injured in the strike that took place on Thursday in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Hospital records show that 13 children under 18 were killed in the strike.
The Israeli army said it targeted Hamas militants inside the school, without providing evidence.
In recent months, Israel has carried out attacks on several schools that have been turned into shelters, saying the attacks are targeting militants hiding among civilians.
The attack came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had achieved its goal of “effectively dismantling” Hamas and that negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages would resume “in the coming days”.
The United States had been hoping to revive negotiations since Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last week, but neither side has shown signs of moderating their demands after months of negotiations that stalled during the ‘summer.
Blinken also announced an additional $US135 million ($203 million) in aid to the Palestinians, again urging Israel to allow more assistance to enter the territory.
Health workers in Gaza’s besieged north have meanwhile warned of a catastrophic situation there, where Israel has been waging an air and ground offensive for more than two weeks.
In recent days, hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled their homes in northern Gaza.
The army says it is fighting Hamas fighters who have regrouped in the north, which was one of the first targets of the ground offensive early in the war.
Dr. Hossam Abu Safiyeh, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north, said in a video message released Wednesday that about 150 injured people were being treated there, including 14 children in intensive care or the neonatal ward.
“There are a large number of injured and we are losing at least one person every hour due to lack of medical supplies and medical personnel,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization, the war has destroyed Gaza’s health system, with only 16 of 39 hospitals partially functioning.
According to Gaza authorities, the Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 43,000 people.
By Israeli counts, the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 killed 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of another 250 people.
