At least 13 people have died after an Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City overnight, with several more feared trapped beneath the rubble. Gaza’s civil defence reports that six individuals remain unaccounted for and are believed to be buried under the debris, but rescue teams are struggling to reach them due to a lack of heavy machinery.
The shelter was one of several locations targeted in Gaza on Wednesday. Emergency workers also recovered four more bodies from two nearby homes, according to local officials.
“In addition to access issues, there’s a severe shortage of equipment needed to clear the debris and retrieve bodies,” Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported from Gaza City.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that 39 people were killed and 105 others injured across the territory in the past 24 hours.
The escalation comes as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas renewed calls for Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, reiterated its position that it would release all captives only in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire. The group has rejected Israel’s demand for disarmament, calling it a “red line.”
Despite a month-long stalemate in ceasefire negotiations since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said his country remains actively involved in mediation efforts. A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss a potential truce.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. Israel has blocked the entry of food, medicine, and other aid into Gaza for eight consecutive weeks. In a rare joint statement, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom condemned the blockade as “intolerable.”
“Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool,” the European nations stated. “Palestinian territory must not be reduced or subjected to any demographic change. Israel is bound under international law to allow the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid.”
Since the resumption of hostilities in mid-March, at least 1,928 Palestinians have been killed, pushing the overall death toll in Gaza to more than 51,300, according to figures from the Health Ministry.
Edited by Nzubechukwu Eze.
