Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says 30 killed in school strike

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said an Israeli strike Saturday on a school killed 30 people, after a days-long military operation further south left around 170 dead, according to the civil defence agency.

Since July 6 at least eight schools -- including the latest one -- have been hit leaving more than 100 people dead, based on a tally of tolls given by the health ministry and a hospital source.

With most of Gaza's 2.4 million people displaced at least once during the war started by the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, many have sought refuge in school buildings including the one hit on Saturday.

The latest strike in the Deir el-Balah city area targeted Khadija school, the health ministry said. More than 100 people were wounded, it added.

Israel's military said it carried out a strike on the school targeting "terrorists" operating there.

Further south, in the Khan Yunis city area, around 170 people have been killed "and hundreds wounded" during an Israeli operation over several days there, Gaza's Civil Defence Agency said.

It issued the toll after the military earlier Saturday warned of new operations in the area and issued fresh evacuation orders for residents of Khan Yunis, where troops had earlier recovered the bodies of five Israelis.

- Aid effort 'destabilised' -

Egyptian state-linked media said Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators are to meet with Israeli negotiators in the Italian capital Sunday in the latest push for a Gaza truce, which critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have accused him of blocking.

The United Nations said more than 180,000 Palestinians had already fled fierce fighting in Khan Yunis since the military operation began almost a week ago.

The evacuation orders and "intensified hostilities" have "significantly destabilised aid operations", the UN said, reporting "dire water, hygiene and sanitation conditions" in the Palestinian territory.

Israel had warned last Monday that its forces would "forcefully operate" in the Khan Yunis region -- from where rockets had been fired -- including an area previously declared a safe humanitarian zone.

Khan Yunis was left devastated after heavy fighting early in the year but the military withdrew in April saying it had "concluded its mission" there.

Now it has returned in force. On Wednesday the military said troops carried out an operation in Khan Yunis and retrieved the bodies of five Israelis.

They had been killed during the October 7 attack on Israel and their bodies taken back to Gaza, the military said.

Israel's military said on Friday that its forces had "eliminated approximately 100" militants in Khan Yunis during the week.

The military chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said the captives' bodies were pulled from underground tunnels and walls.

The October 7 attack that began the war resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Hamas also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,258 people, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not provide details of civilian and Hamas deaths.

Its latest toll on Saturday included 83 deaths over the previous 48 hours.

- Rome talks -

On Saturday, the military ordered residents from more parts of Khan Yunis "to temporarily evacuate to the adjusted humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi" -- the second such adjustment made to the safe zone within a week.

Further south, in Rafah, medics told AFP on Saturday that four people were killed and several wounded in an air strike on a house.

Israel's military on Saturday said troops had targeted "military infrastructure sites" in the Rafah area and "eliminated dozens" of militants.

Al-Qahera news, which has links to Egyptian intelligence, reported on Friday that talks "to reach agreement on a truce in Gaza" would take place Sunday in Rome.

US news outlet Axios separately reported that CIA Director Bill Burns was expected to hold talks in Rome with Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials on Sunday.

The latest mediation efforts have focused on a ceasefire and hostage-release accompanied by the freeing of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. US President Joe Biden presented the framework in late May, billing it as an Israeli proposal.

In a meeting on Thursday in Washington, Biden called on Netanyahu to "finalise" a deal and "reach a durable end to the war in Gaza", the White House said.

That same day, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which has regularly protested for a deal, alleged "deliberate sabotage" of talks and demanded an urgent meeting with Israeli negotiators.

Their accusation came after a source with knowledge of the talks said the arrival of Israeli negotiators in Qatar had been postponed from Thursday to this coming week.

Source: AFP