Gaza School
On Saturday, an Israeli airstrike targeted a school in Gaza City that was sheltering displaced persons, resulting in the deaths of at least 15 Palestinians.
This attack occurred just hours after two airstrikes in the occupied West Bank killed nine militants, including a local Hamas commander, according to Hamas.
The Israeli military reported that the first of the two West Bank strikes hit a vehicle near Tulkarm, aiming at a militant cell believed to be preparing for an attack.
Hamas confirmed that one of the victims was a commander of its Tulkarm brigades, while the Islamic Jihad claimed that the other four men killed were its fighters.
A second strike in the area targeted another group of militants who had reportedly fired on Israeli troops, according to the military.
Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that four people died in the second West Bank strike. Hamas asserted that all nine killed in the two West Bank attacks were fighters.
The violence in the West Bank had been escalating before the recent Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and has continued to rise since, with frequent Israeli raids and increasing anti-Israeli attacks by Palestinians.
These latest strikes in the Palestinian territories come amid heightened tensions involving Israel, Iran, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
There are growing concerns about a broader regional conflict. Diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and international partners, including France, Britain, Italy, and Egypt, continue in an attempt to prevent further escalation.
Hamas has initiated a “broad consultation process” to select a new leader following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, a prominent figure in the group’s international diplomacy.
Both Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the assassination and vowed retaliation, though Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
In Gaza, the Israeli airstrike on the school in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood was reported by Hamas-run media, which claimed that the school was being used by Hamas as a command center and for weapon manufacturing. Hamas has denied these accusations, stating that they do not operate from civilian facilities.
Earlier on the same day, Israeli strikes in Rafah, a southern area of Gaza, killed six people in a house and two others in Gaza City. The Israeli military said these strikes targeted militants and destroyed Hamas infrastructure.
According to Gaza health officials, the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza has resulted in at least 39,550 Palestinian deaths since its escalation, which began following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people and led to 250 abductions.
In a bid to resume ceasefire negotiations, a high-level Israeli delegation briefly visited Cairo on Saturday but returned to Israel shortly after.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of attempting to alter the terms of a potential agreement proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden in May. Hamas, in turn, has blamed Netanyahu for obstructing peace efforts.
The chances of a breakthrough in the conflict seem low as regional tensions have surged following the assassination of Haniyeh and the recent killing of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, in an Israeli strike in Beirut.
Israel has not confirmed its involvement in Haniyeh’s assassination, but Netanyahu has stated that Israel has dealt severe blows to Iran’s proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with French Foreign Minister Stéphane Sejourne and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire and a resolution to the hostage crisis in Gaza.
Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, highlighted the unprecedented danger of recent regional developments, while Italy has urged Iran to exercise restraint and contribute to de-escalation efforts throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
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