At least 69 people have been killed by Israeli fire across Gaza on Thursday, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency.
Since its ceasefire with Iran, Israel has intensified its operations in Gaza in what it says is a fresh bid to target Hamas.
One airstrike reportedly killed 15 people at a school-turned shelter for displaced families in Gaza City. The Israeli military said it targeted a “key” Hamas operative based there.
Gaza civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said the majority of the people killed in this attack were “children and women”.
A displaced man from Gaza, Nidal Hjaylah, spoke to the AP at the sight of the shelter, saying: “We woke up to the sounds of explosions.”
“We found fire spreading all over the roof. It was a huge fire. When we started to put it out, we found charred bodies of children and women.”
“They had nothing to do with the resistance or anything else. What was their fault that they were bombed and burned like this?”
The Gaza civil defence agency also reported that 38 people were killed while queueing for aid, or on their way to pick up aid. The Israeli military has denied these reports.
The news comes as pressure rises for both Israel and Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire and hostage release deal, pushed by US president Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Trump announced that Israel had agreed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire, however, there are still obstacles that could prevent this. Hamas has said it is studying the proposals, but it still wants to end the war and for Israel to withdraw from Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington on Monday.
Earlier this week, Gaza’s civil defence said at least 24 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded on a strike to the Al-Baqa cafe, a prominent venue along the city’s coastal promenade. Victims of the attack have been reported as including artists, journalists and athletes.
The Israeli military has said it launched a review into a strike on the seafront cafe, saying it targeted militants.
On Thursday, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories called for sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, as well as for global corporations to be held accountable for “profiting from genocide” in Gaza.
The Israeli military launched its attack on Gaza in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, where about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Since then, at least 57,130 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.