More than 50 Palestinians were killed in two Israeli airstrikes targeting a school sheltering displaced people and a home in Gaza City and Jabalia, northern Gaza, on Monday morning.
The Israeli military said its air force has struck more than 200 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past two days, Al Jazeera reported.
A medical source told Anadolu Agency that the death toll from the Israeli airstrike on the Fahmi Al-Jirjawi school, which shelters displaced people, in Gaza City’s al-Daraj neighborhood has risen to 30.
A fire swept through the tents following the bombing, said Al-Aqsa TV and other local sources.
Eyewitness videos circulated online, showing charred bodies, many of them children, and others crying out as flames consumed their surroundings.
A girl stands in the ruins of the school building in Gaza City that was hit by an air strike Photo: Reuters
“Charred corpses and the screams of displaced people engulfed in flames were seen and heard from the site,” one report said.
In a statement, the Israeli army confirmed the strike, claiming that Hamas has turned the shelter into a “command and control center.” It, however, did not provide any proof to support its claim.
Meanwhile, in another deadly airstrike, 19 more people were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a home in Jabalia town, northern Gaza, according to a medical source.
A boy inspects the damage at the site of an Israeli air strike on a school building, now sheltering displaced people, in Gaza City Photo: reuters
A boy inspects the damage at the site of an Israeli air strike on a school building, now sheltering displaced people, in Gaza City Photo: reuters
Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli airstrike “completely destroyed” a multi-story building, with dozens of displaced people residing inside.
The intensified violence, after a nearly three-month blockade of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip, has sharpened international condemnation of Israel.
World leaders meeting in Madrid at the weekend called for an end to the “inhumane” and “senseless” war, while humanitarian organisations said the trickle of resumed aid is not nearly enough to staunch the hunger and health crises.
Separately, Hamas has agreed to a proposal by US special envoy Steve Witkoff for a Gaza ceasefire, a Palestinian official close to the group told Reuters on Monday, paving the way for a possible end to the war.
The new proposal, which sees the release of ten hostages and 70 days of truce, was received by Hamas through mediators.
“The proposal includes the release of ten living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in two groups in return for a 70-day ceasefire and a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” the source said.
Under the proposal, living captives along with the bodies of several more people in return for Palestinian prisoners over two stages. The proposal also sees the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, including hundreds of those serving lengthy prison terms. There was no immediate comment from Israel.