An Israeli airstrike on a post office in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 30 Palestinians and injured 50 others who had taken shelter there, increasing Thursday's death toll in the enclave to 66.
The strike, which occurred in Nuseirat camp, also damaged several nearby houses, according to medics.
The Israeli military has not commented on the incident. Nuseirat, one of Gaza’s eight historic camps established for Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war, is now a densely populated urban area hosting displaced individuals from across the region.
Earlier that day, two Israeli strikes in southern Gaza killed 13 Palestinians. Gaza medics and Hamas reported that the victims were part of a force protecting humanitarian aid trucks, while Israel claimed they were Hamas militants attempting to hijack the supplies. Many of those killed in the strikes on Rafah and Khan Younis were linked to Hamas, according to sources close to the group.
The Israeli military stated that the airstrikes were intended to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, accusing Hamas of trying to divert the aid for "terrorist activities".
Hamas, however, denied these allegations, asserting that Israeli strikes had killed over 700 police officers assigned to secure aid trucks since the conflict began on 7 October 2023. Hamas accused Israel of fostering chaos to prevent aid from reaching Gaza’s civilians.
On the same day, the Israeli military ordered residents of several areas in central Gaza City to evacuate, warning of imminent attacks via text messages, audio alerts, and social media posts. These warnings triggered further displacement, with families moving towards central parts of the city.
Israeli airstrikes also targeted a residential building on Al-Jalaa Street in Gaza City and a house west of Nuseirat, resulting in 22 fatalities.
Additionally, in the northern Gaza camp of Jabalia, an orthopaedic doctor, Saeed Judeh, was reportedly shot dead by Israeli forces while heading to Al-Awda Hospital. The Palestinian health ministry stated that his death brought the number of healthcare workers killed during the conflict to 1,057.
Efforts by Arab mediators, supported by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, to broker a ceasefire have thus far been unsuccessful. On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly called overwhelmingly for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, as well as the release of hostages taken in October 2023.
The war began when Hamas militants launched an attack on Israeli communities, killing approximately 1,200 people and capturing around 250 hostages. In response, Israel’s military has launched extensive operations in Gaza, displacing almost the entire population of 2.3 million and killing over 44,800 people, according to Palestinian health officials.
The ongoing conflict has exacerbated a humanitarian crisis, leading to widespread hunger and disease.
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