Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 61 people in 48 hours, local medics reported on Saturday, as Israeli forces clashed with Hamas militants.
Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, a ceasefire deal remains elusive, with no resolution for the hostages held in Gaza or the Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
One airstrike targeted the Halima al-Sa’diyya school compound in the Jabalia refugee camp, which was housing displaced people. This strike resulted in at least eight deaths and 15 injuries, according to medics.
The Israeli military claimed the strike hit a Hamas command center within the compound, accusing the group of misusing civilian infrastructure for military purposes—an allegation Hamas disputes.
In Gaza City, five more people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house, and later, another strike killed four people and injured 25 at Amr Ibn Ala’as school in the Sheikh Radwan suburb.
The school, which also serves as a shelter for displaced families, was hit by an airstrike that the Israeli military claimed targeted a Hamas command center operating within the compound.
Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli airstrikes had killed 28 people across the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
Armed factions, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah, claimed to have engaged Israeli troops in Gaza City, central areas, and the south, using anti-tank rockets, mortar bombs, and explosive devices against tanks and military vehicles.
Efforts by mediators such as Qatar, Egypt, and the United States to negotiate a ceasefire have so far failed, with substantial gaps between the warring sides. The U.S. is preparing a new proposal, but hopes for a breakthrough remain low.
During an event in London, CIA Director William Burns, the chief U.S. negotiator, stated that a more detailed proposal would be presented in the coming days.
Ceasefires Allow for Continued Polio Vaccinations
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasised that both Israel and Hamas must make concessions to reach an agreement.
Hamas, which controls Gaza and was responsible for the October 7 attacks on Israelis, has not introduced new demands, according to senior official Hossam Badran.
Instead, Badran accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of adding conditions that hinder peace efforts. Netanyahu countered that Hamas had presented unacceptable terms.
Despite ongoing conflict, the United Nations, working with local health officials, has continued a vaccination campaign for 640,000 children in Gaza following a recent polio case.
Temporary pauses in fighting have facilitated this effort, with U.N. officials reporting that more than half of the targeted children in the southern and central Gaza Strip have received the vaccine.
The vaccination campaign will move to the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, with a follow-up round scheduled for four weeks later.
The recent escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in 1,200 deaths and around 250 hostages taken, according to Israeli sources.
In retaliation, Israel’s operations in Gaza have led to over 40,900 Palestinian deaths and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, causing a severe hunger crisis. Genocide allegations have been submitted to the World Court, which Israel refutes.
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