Mayor among 17 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Saturday killed 17 people, including Deiab al-Jaro, the mayor of Deir el-Balah, and seven others at a UN-run school sheltering displaced civilians.

Gaza's civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal confirmed that the strike on the Al-Majida Wasila school, west of Gaza City, killed seven people, including women and children, and wounded at least 10 others.

The school, operated by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, had been turned into a makeshift shelter for those displaced by the ongoing war.

Bassal also reported that an Israeli strike on the town hall in Deir el-Balah killed Mayor Jaro and nine others.

The Israeli military stated that Jaro was targeted as an alleged Hamas operative in the military wing, though this claim was not independently verified.

The conflict, which erupted after Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, has caused significant casualties, with at least 44,930 killed in Gaza, the majority being civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel's ongoing strikes in Gaza have continued to target civilians, with at least 52 people killed over the past day.

Strikes hit two schools in Gaza City, and in northern Gaza, a tighter siege has led to the destruction of buildings and homes, particularly in Beit Lahiya, with Israeli forces also firing on Kamal Adwan Hospital.