Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities.
ADVERTISEMENTAn Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced people sheltering in the central Gaza Strip reportedly killed at least 17 people on Thursday, nearly all women and children, according to Palestinian medical officials.
A further 42 people were wounded in the attack, says the Awda Hospital which received the casualties.
13 children were amongst the dead as well as three women, according to the hospital’s records.
The Israeli military said they targeted Hamas militants inside the school but did not provide evidence.
Israel has carried out strikes on several schools-turned-shelters in recent months, saying it precisely targets militants hiding out among children. These strikes often kill women and children.
The strike came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had achieved its target of effectively dismantling Hamas and that negotiations over a cease-fire would resume in the coming days.
Speaking to reporters in Qatar, Blinken said negotiators from both sides would return to Doha to renew talks.
“What we really have to determine is whether Hamas is prepared to engage,” Blinken said on his 11th visit to the region since the start of the war.
Hamas’ political representatives have not so far signalled a softer stance.