Israeli airstrikes targeted a school in central Gaza, which was sheltering displaced individuals, on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of numerous people. This occurred as negotiators from Israel prepared to meet with international mediators regarding a potential cease-fire.
At least 30 individuals who were taking refuge at a girls’ school in Deir Al-Balah were transported to Al Aqsa Hospital, where they were declared dead following a strike that the Israeli military claimed was aimed at a Hamas command center used for weapon storage and attack planning.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 11 other individuals lost their lives in various strikes on the same day.
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Buildings in the Gaza Strip are seen destroyed from southern Israel on July 24, 2024. (Tsafrir Abayov)
Near the hospital, journalists from the Associated Press witnessed an ambulance speeding along a dusty road, with some individuals fleeing in the opposite direction. An injured man was seen lying on a stretcher on the ground, while a body covered with a blanket and a deceased toddler were inside the ambulance.
Inside the school, the classrooms had been turned into ruins. Rescue efforts were visible as individuals searched for victims beneath the debris, while others collected the remains of those who had perished.
Earlier, Israel’s military had issued an evacuation order for a section of a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza in anticipation of a strike planned for Khan Younis on Saturday.
This evacuation order was a response to rocket fire that Israel asserted came from that region. The military stated that it intended to conduct an operation against Hamas militants in the city, including parts of Muwasi, a crowded tent encampment in an area where Israel had instructed thousands of Palestinians to seek refuge during the conflict.
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Amal Abdel-Hadi, left, and Nour Abdel-Hadi, right, show their grief over their 2-year-old injured niece, Siwar, on July 24, 2024, following an Israeli airstrike on the child’s residence. (Abdel Kareem Hana)
The intended strike is scheduled for the day before officials from the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and Israel are expected to convene in Italy to negotiate ongoing hostage situations and discuss cease-fire terms. CIA Director Bill Burns is anticipated to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Mossad director David Barnea, and Egyptian spy chief Abbas Kamel on Sunday, as per officials from the U.S. and Egypt who spoke under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.
This marks the second evacuation order issued within a week that has involved targeting part of the humanitarian zone, which spans roughly 60 square kilometers (around 20 square miles) filled with tent camps, lacking sanitation and medical facilities while having limited access to aid, according to United Nations and humanitarian organizations. Israel expanded this area in May to accommodate individuals fleeing Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population had gathered.
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Displaced Palestinians residing in a makeshift tent camp in the Muwasi region of southern Gaza on Jan. 1, 2024. (Fatima Shbair, File)
Israeli estimates suggest that approximately 1.8 million Palestinians are currently taking shelter in these areas after being forcibly displaced multiple times while seeking safety amidst Israel’s intense air and ground operations. In November, the military stated that this region could still be targeted and noted, “it is not a safe zone, but it is a safer place than any other” in Gaza.
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, highlighted the increasing difficulty in determining the number of individuals affected by the evacuation order due to the constant displacement of those seeking safety.
“Labeling these as evacuation orders fails to capture the gravity of the situation,” remarked Juliette Touma, the agency’s director of communications. “These are forced displacement orders. When people receive such directives, they are given very little time to evacuate.”
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In northern Gaza, Palestinians mourned the loss of seven individuals who were killed by overnight Israeli airstrikes in Zawaida. Members of two families — parents and their two children, along with a mother and her two children — were wrapped in traditional white Islamic burial shrouds as community members gathered to conduct funeral rites. As men formed lines to pray before the bodies, grieving friends and neighbors approached one by one to pay their respects.
Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed the death toll, and journalists from the Associated Press verified the presence of the bodies.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the ongoing conflict has resulted in over 39,100 Palestinian casualties, with the figures not differentiating between combatants and civilians. The U.N. reported in February that approximately 17,000 children in the region are currently unaccompanied, a number that is likely to have increased since then.
The conflict was ignited by an assault from Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, and the capture of around 250 hostages. Currently, about 115 hostages remain in Gaza, with roughly a third of them believed to be deceased, as per Israeli officials.
