At least 17 people, primarily women and children, were killed Thursday when an Israeli strike hit a school housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Palestinian medical officials at Awda Hospital.
The attack, which wounded an additional 42 people, claimed the lives of seven children — the youngest just 11 months old — and three women. Hospital officials reported receiving the casualties as Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $135 million in new U.S. aid to Palestinians during his eleventh regional visit since the conflict began.
Israeli forces have conducted several strikes on schools-turned-shelters in recent months, maintaining they target Hamas militants using civilian facilities for cover. The Israeli military had not immediately commented on Thursday’s strike.
The incident highlights the war’s devastating impact on Gaza’s civilian population. According to the territory’s Health Ministry, the conflict has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, with women and children comprising more than half the casualties. Israel reports killing 17,000 fighters, though without providing evidence.
The war has displaced approximately 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, many multiple times, with hundreds of thousands now living in coastal tent camps after widespread destruction of residential areas. The conflict began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and led to 250 hostages being taken, about 100 of whom remain captive with a third presumed dead.
Blinken’s visit to Qatar emphasized the critical need for humanitarian aid access to Gaza, as cease-fire negotiations that stalled over the summer show no signs of revival despite hopes that last week’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar might provide new momentum.
The conflict has meanwhile expanded to Lebanon, where Israeli forces launched a ground invasion three weeks ago following months of cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah.
