Palestinian officials said at least 30 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school in the Gaza Strip.

CNN
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Palestinian officials said at least 30 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in an Israeli air strike on a school in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, where thousands had taken refuge.

Israeli forces launched an attack to destroy Hamas’ command and control center inside the compound.

Most of the victims from the school who were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after the attack were women and children, according to hospital spokesman Dr. Khalil Al-Dakran.

CNN footage from inside the hospital morgue showed bodies lying on the floor and people arriving to identify their loved ones, including children, among the dead.

The emergency room was overflowing with injured people and appeared to have no space to accommodate more patients, with a young man being seen being treated on the floor.

Most of the injured were children taken to hospital, including a boy with the word “unidentified” written on his stomach who was treated but died a short time later.

The attack came shortly after the Israeli army issued new evacuation orders for the city of Khan Younis further south, where Israel launched a new offensive earlier this week, killing dozens of Palestinians.

Residents in southern neighbourhoods were told to evacuate after warnings that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would carry out “forceful operations” in the area.

Fighting has been ongoing in Gaza for months and the renewed offensive shows Israel is struggling to achieve its goal of destroying Hamas. Israel has said about 100 of its fighters have been killed in recent fighting.

The UN estimates that around 150,000 people fled Khan Yunis on Monday alone, increasing pressure on scarce food, water and shelter.

Hinting that a new operation was imminent, the IDF posted on Telegram that it “will soon launch a powerful operation against terrorist organizations and therefore calls on remaining residents of the southern district of Khan Yunis to temporarily evacuate to the coordinated humanitarian area of ​​Al-Mawasi.”

The statement said the move was in retaliation for “large-scale terrorist activities and rocket attacks” that erupted from the southern city of Khan Yunis, adding that areas previously designated for humanitarian assistance would be “adjusted.”

Al-Mawasi has been the target of multiple Israeli attacks, including one on July 14 that reportedly killed 90 people and injured over 300.

A witness in Khan Younis told CNN he “woke up to screams” as people fled the area following evacuation orders, heard explosions and saw flares in the sky.

Scenes filmed by CNN in Khan Yunis showed people fleeing in cars, motorbikes and donkey carts with all their belongings. “We are looking for a place to stay. We don’t know where to go,” one man said.

Israel launched a military offensive into Gaza on October 7 after Hamas attacked southern Israel, leaving at least 1,200 people dead and more than 250 abducted, according to Israeli officials.

According to the Health Ministry, 39,258 Palestinians have been killed and 90,589 injured in Israeli military actions in Gaza since then. Nearly two million people, nearly the entire population of Gaza, had been displaced as of early July, according to UN figures.

Aid groups in Gaza have previously warned that the new set of evacuation orders will make it even harder to distribute emergency food.

“The people of Gaza are exhausted, living in inhuman conditions and completely unsafe,” the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East posted on X on Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday they had found the bodies of five Israeli hostages in a tunnel in the Khan Yunis area, which it had designated a “humanitarian zone” the previous day.

Despite the fighting, U.S. and Israeli officials expressed optimism this week that a ceasefire and hostage agreement could be reached.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that both sides were “inside the 10-yard line, advancing toward the goal line.”

Two sources familiar with the talks told CNN that the talks are due to resume on Sunday in Rome.

The US team will be led by CIA Director Bill Burns and will include counterparts from Qatar, Egypt and Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington this week and met with Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who urged him to secure the agreement.

“As I said to Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier, now is the time to get this deal done,” Harris said. “So to all of those who have been calling for a ceasefire, to all of those who long for peace, I see you, I hear you.”

This story has been updated with additional information.