Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza Schools, Hospital After Failed Talks

Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza Schools, Hospital After Failed Talks

On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes targeted two schools in Gaza City, resulting in at least 30 deaths, according to Palestinian officials. The Israeli military reported that the strikes aimed at a Hamas military compound situated within the schools.

Earlier in the day, another Israeli airstrike hit a tent camp inside a hospital in central Gaza. Gaza health officials reported a total of at least 44 Palestinian fatalities on Sunday, following the collapse of talks in Cairo the previous day.

Footage from Palestinian media displayed bodies scattered in the yard of one of the two damaged schools. Residents were seen rushing to transport casualties, including children, to nearby hospitals. Gaza’s Civil Emergency Service confirmed dozens of injuries alongside the fatalities at the Hassan Salama and Al-Nasser schools, which were sheltering displaced Palestinian families.

The Israeli military asserted that the strikes targeted Hamas fighters operating within a command center in the schools and claimed efforts were made to minimize civilian casualties. Israel maintains that Hamas often uses civilian sites as shields, a claim Hamas denies.

In a separate incident earlier in the day, an Israeli strike on the Al-Aqsa Hospital compound caused a fire and resulted in 18 injuries and five deaths, according to medical authorities. The Israeli military stated the strike targeted a fighter and noted secondary explosions, suggesting the presence of weapons.

The hospital compound, located in Deir Al-Balah, is densely populated with people displaced from other areas of Gaza. Additional strikes in Deir Al-Balah killed three Palestinians in a house, while separate strikes in Jabalia camp and northern Gaza City killed eight people in a home and three in a car, respectively.

Residents in areas southeast of Khan Younis and north of Rafah received evacuation orders from the Israeli military, signaling imminent action against fighters in those regions. The Israeli army spokesman posted on X, urging residents to move to humanitarian zones in preparation for military operations.

In Israel, sirens sounded in Ashdod following the launch of five rockets from southern Gaza. No injuries were reported. Hamas stated that the rocket fire was retaliation for what it described as Israeli “massacres against civilians.”