Israeli airstrikes hit a girls’ school in Gaza where dozens of displaced people were sheltering, killing at least 30, including eight women and 15 children, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The strike, which targeted Deir Al-Balah, injured over 100 people who were taken to Al Asqa Hospital.
Israel’s military claimed the school was being used by Hamas as a command and control center and weapons cache and said it had warned civilians before the strike.
The attack comes ahead of a meeting in Italy involving officials from the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Israel to discuss hostage and cease-fire negotiations.
Images show the school in ruins, with emergency workers and civilians searching for victims.
Earlier, Israel’s military ordered an evacuation of part of a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza ahead of a planned strike on Khan Younis, responding to rocket fire from the area.
This zone, expanded in May to accommodate people fleeing Rafah, now shelters approximately 1.8 million Palestinians. The military has stated it is not a safe zone but safer than other areas in Gaza.
Further north, seven Palestinians from two families were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Zawaida. Funeral rites were held for the victims, who were wrapped in traditional Islamic burial shrouds.
On Sunday, CIA Director Bill Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Mossad Director David Barnea, and Egyptian spy chief Abbas Kamel are expected to meet to discuss the ongoing situation and the fate of 115 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
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