At least 30 people have died in Gaza following an Israeli airstrike that targeted a school being used as a shelter. #news999

 DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes struck a school in central Gaza that was being used as a shelter by displaced Palestinians, resulting in the deaths of at least 30 people, including several children. The casualties were transported from the girls' school in Deir al-Balah to Al Aqsa Hospital. Israel's military claimed the strike targeted a Hamas command center responsible for directing attacks against Israeli troops and storing substantial quantities of weapons. In response, Hamas has denied these allegations, calling the Israeli military's claim false.Civil defense workers in Gaza reported that thousands of people had been sheltering in the school, which also housed a medical facility. Associated Press journalists witnessed a dead toddler in an ambulance and saw bodies covered with blankets. The school's interior showed extensive damage, with shattered walls and ruined classrooms. Rescue teams searched through the rubble, which was scattered with pillows and other personal items.

On the same day, Gaza's Health Ministry reported at least 12 additional fatalities from other airstrikes.

In Italy on Sunday, officials from the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and Israel are set to meet to discuss cease-fire negotiations. CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to confer with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Mossad Director David Barnea, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, according to unnamed U.S. and Egyptian officials.

U.S. officials indicated that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the basic framework of a three-phase deal. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to continue the conflict until Israel achieves “total victory” during his speech to the U.S. Congress. Palestinian officials condemned Netanyahu’s remarks, with Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, asserting that Netanyahu's reception in the U.S. signaled a "green light" for Israel to intensify its offensive.“Every time the occupation bombs a school sheltering displaced people, we only see some condemnations and denunciations that do nothing to stop its brutal aggression,” he said.

**New Evacuation Order for Humanitarian Zone**

On Saturday, Israel's military issued a new evacuation order for part of a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza, in advance of a planned strike on Khan Younis. This order followed rocket fire that Israel attributed to the area.

The military announced its intention to target Hamas militants in Khan Younis, including parts of the Muwasi tent camp, where Israel has directed thousands of Palestinians to take refuge.

This is the second evacuation order in a week affecting the humanitarian zone, a 60-square-kilometer (approximately 20-square-mile) area filled with tent camps that lack sanitation, medical facilities, and adequate aid access. The zone was expanded in May to accommodate those fleeing Rafah, which was overcrowded with more than half of Gaza’s population at that time.

Gaza Health Ministry officials reported that the evacuation orders have forced at least three health centers to suspend operations, worsening issues like waste accumulation and shortages of supplies.

Israeli estimates indicate that around 1.8 million Palestinians are currently sheltering in the zone, having been displaced multiple times during Israel’s extensive air and ground campaign. In November, the military noted that while the area could still be targeted, it was “not a safe zone, but it is a safer place than any other” in Gaza.

Juliette Touma, the UNRWA’s director of communications, remarked that it is challenging to determine the exact number of people affected by the evacuation order, describing it as “forced displacement” that leaves individuals with very little time to relocate.Farther north, Palestinians mourned the loss of seven individuals killed by Israeli airstrikes overnight in Zawaida, central Gaza. Among the victims were a family of four, including parents and their two children, as well as a mother and her two children. The deceased were wrapped in white burial shrouds as friends and neighbors gathered to grieve.

Al Aqsa Hospital confirmed the fatalities, and AP journalists observed the bodies.

**A Death in the West Bank**

In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that a 17-year-old was killed and nine others were injured following an Israeli drone strike in Balata camp, Nablus. The Israeli military confirmed that its aircraft conducted the strike as part of its operations in Nablus.

**Ongoing Impact of the Conflict**

The war in Gaza has resulted in over 39,200 Palestinian deaths, according to the Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its figures. The U.N. estimated in February that approximately 17,000 children in Gaza were unaccompanied, a number likely to have increased since then.

The conflict began with a Hamas assault on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and about 250 hostages. Israeli authorities report that around 115 hostages are still in Gaza, with roughly a third of them believed to be dead.