## At Least 30 Killed in Israeli Strike on Gaza School
### Israel Orders Evacuation of Designated Humanitarian Area in Gaza
Palestinian health officials reported that at least 30 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on a school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. The Israeli army stated it targeted a Hamas command center.
The Gaza Ministry of Health and the government media office, run by Hamas, confirmed the death toll from the attack on the school in Deir al-Balah, one of the most densely populated areas with displaced families. Over 100 others were injured.
The Israeli army stated that it targeted a “Hamas command and control center within the Khadija School complex in central Gaza.” The statement added that the school was used for launching attacks on Israeli forces and as a weapons storage site. The army claimed it had warned civilians before the attack.
At Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, ambulances rushed to transport the injured. Some of the wounded arrived on foot, their clothes stained with blood.
In similar previous attacks on civilian infrastructure, the Israeli army accused Hamas of putting civilians in harm’s way by operating from schools, hospitals, and densely populated neighborhoods as cover. Hamas denies these allegations.
Earlier today, official Palestinian media reported that at least 14 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in Khan Younis since dawn, and their bodies were transferred to the Nasser Medical Complex.
An Israeli army statement said it had asked Palestinians to temporarily evacuate the southern neighborhoods of Khan Younis in Gaza to enable “intense operations” there and urged them to move to a humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi.
The army claimed it issued evacuation calls via multiple channels to mitigate risks to civilians.
Medics reported that five Palestinians were killed in Bureij refugee camp earlier due to an Israeli airstrike on a house, while four others died in another attack on a house in Rafah.
UN officials and humanitarian organizations have accused Israel of using disproportionate force in the conflict and failing to ensure safe havens for civilians, accusations that Israel denies.
Yesterday, Friday, the Israeli army stated that its forces engaged in battles with Palestinian fighters in Khan Younis, destroying tunnels and other infrastructure in an effort to eliminate small armed units that continue to shell Israeli forces with mortars.
The ongoing conflict for over nine months since Israel’s invasion of Gaza following the October 7th attack highlights the challenges faced by the Israeli army in eliminating Hamas fighters amid continued resistance.
Gaza health authorities reported that Israeli attacks on the strip have resulted in the deaths of at least 39,258 Palestinians.
Israeli officials estimate that around 14,000 fighters from armed groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have been killed or captured, from an estimated force of over 25,000 fighters at the start of the war.
Around 1,200 people were killed, and 250 others were kidnapped in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7th, according to Israeli statistics.
Earlier today, Saturday, the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of a crowded part of Gaza designated as a humanitarian area, stating it plans an operation against Hamas fighters in Khan Younis, including parts of Al-Mawasi, a temporary tent camp sheltering thousands.
The order follows rocket fire that Israel says originates from the area. This is the second evacuation order issued within a week for an area designated for Palestinians fleeing other parts of Gaza. Many Palestinians have been displaced multiple times seeking safety during the Israeli air and ground campaign.
On Monday, following the evacuation order, several Israeli airstrikes hit the outskirts of Khan Younis, killing at least 70 people, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, citing numbers from Nasser Hospital.
The area is part of a 60-square-kilometer (approximately 20-square-mile) “humanitarian zone” that Israel has designated for Palestinians to flee to throughout the war.
The United Nations and humanitarian organizations say most of the area is covered with camps lacking adequate sanitary and medical facilities, with limited access to aid. About 1.8 million Palestinians are estimated to be living there, according to Israeli estimates. This represents more than half of Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.3 million.
To the north, airstrikes killed at least five people overnight in Al-Zawayda, central Gaza, according to Associated Press journalists who saw the bodies at the hospital. Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed the number included a father, mother, and three children.
The war in Gaza has led to the deaths of over 39,100 Palestinians, according to the strip’s Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its tally. UN estimates in February indicated that around 17,000 children in the area were now unaccompanied, a number likely to have risen since.
The war began with an attack by Hamas fighters on southern Israel on October 7th, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages.
About 115 hostages remain in Gaza, with authorities believing around a third have died.
By/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚