At the least eight individuals have been killed in an Israeli assault on a faculty sheltering displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza, as Israel despatched a number of senior officers for talks on a possible ceasefire.
An Israeli assault on Saturday hit the Zainab al-Wazir college in northern Gaza’s Jabalia al-Balad space, killing eight civilians, together with two girls and two youngsters, in accordance with the Palestinian civil emergency service.
“The Israelis have focused us with none prior warning,” a mom instructed Al Jazeera, as she searched via the particles. “They attacked us with a missile. I don’t know the place our kids are. I don’t know something about them, whether or not they’re wounded or killed.”
Al Jazeera’s Moath al-Kahlout described the scenes at al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza Metropolis, the place dozens of the wounded have been taken, as “bloody” and “dire”, noting the dearth of medical provides underneath Israel’s ongoing siege of northern Gaza, which has been in place for greater than 80 days.
In a while Saturday, the official Palestinian information company Wafa reported strikes on numerous areas throughout Gaza, together with an assault on a home within the Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza Metropolis, which killed 4 Palestinians and wounded a number of others.
Israeli fighter jets additionally bombed a tent sheltering displaced households in Deir el-Balah, positioned within the centre of the enclave, killing three individuals, Wafa reported.
Further strikes reportedly killed one individual close to the Bureij refugee camp, additionally in central Gaza, and one other within the southern city of Khan Younis.
The intensified assaults got here as Egypt, Qatar and the US made renewed efforts to succeed in a deal to halt combating in Gaza and free remaining Israeli captives in change for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
‘Powerful sticking factors’
On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming particular envoy to the Center East, Steve Witkoff, who had travelled to Qatar earlier within the week.
Witkoff had reassured Egyptian and Qatari mediators that the US would proceed to work in direction of a good deal to finish the conflict quickly, mentioned Egyptian safety sources cited by information company Reuters.
After the assembly, Netanyahu dispatched a high-level delegation, together with the top of the Israeli Mossad intelligence company, to Qatar in an effort to “advance” talks, in accordance with a press release from Netanyahu’s workplace.
“There are a variety of shifting components right here,” mentioned Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from the Jordanian capital, Amman.
“Donald Trump mentioned that he could be fairly aggressive in attempting to get a ceasefire if it didn’t occur earlier than he took workplace … However you need to do not forget that there are robust sticking factors on all sides,” she mentioned.
“The Israelis say that they’re not going to finish the conflict, and Hamas says that they wish to see a complete ceasefire that sees an finish to the conflict and a withdrawal of Israeli troops.
“And also you even have the Israeli public, which is continually demonstrating towards Benjamin Netanyahu, towards the Israeli authorities, saying that he’s neither succesful nor keen to make a deal fifteen months into this conflict,” she mentioned.
Households of Israeli captives welcomed Netanyahu’s resolution to dispatch the officers, with the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board Headquarters describing it as an “historic alternative”.
‘Unimaginable to remain alive’
As mediators put together for extra ceasefire talks, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary mentioned that Palestinians underneath assault in Gaza have been additionally contending with extreme meals shortages, with Israel persevering with to disregard United Nations calls for on lifting its restrictions on provides coming into the Strip.
“We’re seeing youngsters with empty pots each single day looking for neighborhood kitchens, speaking with households saying they’re barely capable of feed their youngsters one meal per day,” mentioned Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah.
“It’s not solely the continual air strikes, but additionally malnutrition is killing Palestinians within the Gaza Strip,” she mentioned.
Vibe Klarup, head of Amnesty Denmark, mentioned that Israel was committing “genocide”.
“Once we say Israel is committing genocide, it isn’t an opinion, it’s a conclusion on the idea of a authorized, thorough evaluation,” she instructed The European Palestinian Community convention in Copenhagen.
“It’s more and more unimaginable to remain alive within the Gaza Strip … Our position as individuals is to cease the genocide,” she added.
At the least 46,537 individuals have been killed in Israel’s conflict on Gaza since October 7, 2023, in accordance with Palestinian well being authorities.
