The Israel Defence Forces launched airstrikes on the school used by internally displaced people in central Gaza, killing dozens of people, AP News said.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 30 people sheltering in a girls’ school in Deir Al-Balah were taken to Al Aqsa Hospital and pronounced dead after the strike, with more than 100 injured. Other strikes on Saturday killed at least 11 people.
Israel said the strike targeted a Hamas command centre where weapons stored and attacks planned. The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of part of a marked humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip ahead of Saturday’s planned strike on Khan Younis. The military said it was planning the operation against Hamas militants in the city.
The planned strike comes a day before as officials from the US, Egypt, Qatar and Israel are due to meet in Italy to discuss ongoing hostage and ceasefire talks. CIA Director Bill Burns is meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Mossad Director David Barnea and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel on Sunday, 28 June.
The evacuation order is the second in a single week and includes a strike on part of the humanitarian zone, 60 square kilometres (about 20 square miles) covered with tent camps that are struggling with sanitation and medical facilities, as well as humanitarian aid.
Israel expanded the zone in May to accommodate people fleeing Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population had congregated at the time. Israel estimates about 1.8 million Palestinians are now sheltering there, evicted several times for safety during Israel’s punitive air and ground campaign. Israel’s military says the operation may go forward because the region is still in a danger zone.
Kamala Harris under criticism from Israeli officials
Israeli officials have criticised US Vice President Kamala Harris following her statements that it is time to end the war in Gaza, given the suffering caused by the fighting. For instance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters believe Harris’ comments potentially undermine their position by signalling a rift between Washington and Tel Aviv. According to them, such statements may be perceived by Hamas as a sign of division, which could complicate or delay a peace deal, said the unnamed official quoted by the news agency
According to an Israeli official quoted by Axios, Netanyahu was upset by her statement on camera and worried that the comments would hurt negotiations on the Gaza deal. He was dissatisfied with the fact that Harris had publicly criticised his country for the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the killing of civilians.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, leaders of two radical religious-nationalist parties whose support is vital to Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, condemned Harris’ remarks. Ben-Gvir wrote on X: “Madam candidate, there will be no cessation of hostilities.”
The war broke out when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. Nearly 115 people are still in Gaza. The war has claimed the lives of over 39,100 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. In February, the UN estimated some 17,000 children in the territory live without adult escorts, and that number has likely increased since then.
