Israel strikes market and school in Gaza, killing at least 20 Palestinians

At least eight killed in Deir el-Balah market, hours after yet another school targeted by Israeli forces, killing at least 12 displaced Palestinians.

At least 20 more Palestinians have been killed in another deadly day in Gaza after Israeli forces targeted a busy market and a school sheltering the displaced people.

At least eight Palestinians were killed on Tuesday in an Israeli attack on a crowded market in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, according to an media correspondent on the scene, who said the number of the dead could rise.

“This area is close to the market, it’s a very busy street. It has a lot of traffic and that’s why there are a lot of casualties,” media’s Hind Khoudary said.

She said many children were injured in the attack that hit an area less than a kilometre (0.6 miles) away from the Al-Aqsa Hospital, where most of the injured were brought.

“There are at least 10 Palestinians, including children, still in the ICU,” Khoudary said, adding that many of them are in critical condition.

“Most of those who were wounded were children. We saw them in the hospital in the corridors lying on the ground, covered in blood and waiting for doctors.”

“Our crews retrieved 12 martyrs from the Mustafa Hafiz school, which was bombed by the Israeli occupation west of Gaza City,” Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence agency, told the AFP news agency earlier on Tuesday.

About 700 displaced Palestinians were sheltering in the school, according to civil defence authorities.

The wounded were taken to al-Alhi Arab Hospital in Gaza City.

The Israeli army claimed it targeted a command centre used by Palestinian fighters in the school – a claim it has repeatedly made while targeting Gaza’s schools without providing any evidence to back it.

Israel has systematically targeted civilian facilities, including schools, hospitals, and places of worship, amid its continuing offensive on the Gaza Strip, despite a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire.

In a statement, Palestinian armed group Hamas accused the United States of shifting the terms of the ceasefire negotiations and showing “blind bias” towards Israel.

Hamas said Blinken’s claim that it is backing away from a deal is “misleading” and that it remains committed to the US and UN-backed ceasefire framework put forward in June.

“Biden’s proposal states that Israel would entirely retreat in two phases and a complete ceasefire, whereas the Israeli demands include only a temporary ceasefire for six weeks,” senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told media.