An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 17 civilians on Thursday, Palestinian medical officials reported on the day U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas would resume.
The strike, which occurred in the crowded Nuseirat refugee camp, left another 42 people wounded, including children.
Most of the casualties were women and children, with hospital records indicating that 13 of the dead were minors.
Nearby Awda Hospital is treating those injured.
Israel Claims Militants Inside
Israel's military claimed Hamas militants were inside the school, which had been repurposed as a shelter for families fleeing the ongoing fighting.
The military has conducted similar strikes on civilian structures in Gaza, asserting that militants use these locations to hide among the population.
However, no evidence was provided to support the claim.
Blinked Announces Ceasefire Talks
The strike's aftermath has prompted renewed international calls for a ceasefire.
Details came in on Thursday while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking from Qatar, announced that negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages would resume shortly.
"What we really have to determine is whether Hamas is prepared to engage," Blinken said, emphasizing that Israel had "effectively dismantled" Hamas through its military campaign.
Blinken also announced an additional $135 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinians, while again urging Israel to allow more assistance to enter the territory.
The deadly airstrike highlights the intensifying humanitarian crisis in Gaza, particularly in the north, where Israeli forces have been conducting a ground offensive for more than two weeks.
A Deadly Conflict
Recent figures suggest Israel's offensives within the territory have claimed more than 42,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The ministry reports that more than half those killed are women and children.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 Hamas fighters as part of its mission to destroy the Iran-backed militant group. Hamas admitted perpetrating the Oct. 7 massacre last year, which sparked the current conflict when over 1,200 Israelis were killed. Around 100 hostages are still being held, with only 70 believed to be alive.
Gaza Medics Struggle
In northern Gaza, where Israeli operations have been focused, hospitals are on the brink of collapse due to shortages of medical supplies, food, and fuel.
Dr. Hossam Abu Safiyeh, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, described the situation as "catastrophic," noting that his staff is losing at least one patient every hour due to a lack of resources.
"Our ambulances can't transfer wounded people," he said in a video message.
"Those who can arrive by themselves to the hospital receive care, but those who don't just die in the streets."
Kamal Adwan is one of only three hospitals in northern Gaza still functioning.
Health workers are struggling to care for the 150 patients currently in their care, with severely diminished capacity in intensive care unit, which cares for 14 children at present.
The hospital director added, "We are providing the bare minimum to patients. Everyone is paying the price of what is happening now in northern Gaza."
Civil Defense in Danger
In addition to the crisis in Gaza's medical system, the Hamas-run Civil Defense announced that it had suspended all emergency operations in the north after Israeli forces reportedly attacked a rescue team in Beit Lahiya.
Three Civil Defense members were wounded, and a firetruck was destroyed in the incident. Five additional emergency workers were detained by Israeli forces, the agency said in a statement.
The war, which has now expanded into Lebanon with Israeli forces launching a ground invasion, has displaced over 90 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million residents. Over 150,000 Israelis are displaced to the periphery of Gaza and in the north of Israel which borders Lebanon.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are living in makeshift tent camps along the coast while neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble.
Despite ongoing efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to broker a ceasefire, negotiations remain at a standstill.
Israeli officials have reiterated that their campaign will not end until Hamas is fully dismantled and all hostages are returned.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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