Deadly airstrike on Gaza school kills 30, including women and children

An Israeli airstrike on a Gaza school housing displaced individuals resulted in at least 30 Palestinian deaths on Saturday, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel stated the strike targeted resistance fighters using the compound.

The Hamas-run government media office reported that the fatalities included 15 children and eight women, with over 100 people injured, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The Israeli military claimed it targeted Palestinian fighters operating from the location and took measures to minimise civilian casualties.

Ambulances rushed the injured to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, with some arriving on foot, blood-stained.

Reuters footage showed people returning to the site of the bombing to check on their belongings, and fires burning in the area. Walls were blasted and debris scattered in the schoolyard, where some cars were damaged.

Um Hasan Ali, a displaced woman at the school, recounted how her daughter, recently returned from medical treatment in Egypt, was injured in the strike and taken to the hospital. Ibtihal Ahmed, another woman, described hearing the heavy bombing and seeing people run towards the impact site, emphasising the innocence of the wounded sheltering at Khadija school.

Earlier in a day Israeli attacks in Khan Younis killed 14 people, according to health officials. The military reported killing resistance fighters and seizing weapons in the area. Earlier, airstrikes in Al-Bureij and Rafah killed nine more Palestinians, medics said.

UN and humanitarian officials have accused Israel of using disproportionate force and failing to provide civilians safe havens, which Israel denies.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, blamed the attacks on US support for Israel.

Violence in the West Bank, already rising before the Gaza war, has escalated with frequent Israeli raids and Palestinian street attacks. An Israeli drone killed one person in Nablus on Saturday after Palestinian gunmen fired at an Israeli army post, injuring a soldier, according to the military.

Ceasefire talks

CIA Director William Burns was expected to meet in Rome with Israeli and Egyptian counterparts and Qatar's prime minister to discuss a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas. Israeli broadcaster Kan reported that Israel's response to the latest proposal was delivered to Washington on Saturday, amidst ongoing efforts to end the stalemate.

Local health authorities in Gaza reported over 39,000 Palestinian deaths since the Israeli offensive began, without differentiating between fighters and non-combatants.

Israel, having lost 328 soldiers, estimated that about a third of the Palestinian deaths were fighters. The offensive was launched in response to a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel in October, which resulted in about 1,200 Israeli deaths and 250 hostages.