At least 21 Palestinians were killed on Thursday in the Gaza Strip amid continued Israeli airstrikes and gunfire, according to local health authorities, as international mediators intensified efforts to revive stalled ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Among the casualties, nine people were reported dead after an Israeli airstrike hit a school sheltering displaced families in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City.
Another nine were killed in a separate strike near a tent encampment in the southern city of Khan Younis. Meanwhile, three people died from gunfire as large crowds gathered along a main route in central Gaza awaiting UN aid trucks.
Dozens more were wounded, medics said.
The Israeli military has not commented on Thursday’s incidents. Israel has maintained that its military campaign in Gaza aims to dismantle Hamas, the group that launched a deadly assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
The renewed violence comes as Egypt and Qatar supported by the United States have re-engaged both parties in hopes of reviving ceasefire talks. However, no date has been confirmed for the resumption of negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that any ceasefire agreement must include the release of all hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and the group’s complete withdrawal from any role in governing Gaza.
Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is designated a terrorist organization by the US, Israel, and the European Union, has stated it is willing to release hostages only if Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire and full military withdrawal. While the group has signaled it may not continue to govern Gaza, it has refused to disarm.
Since Israel launched its military response to the October 7 attacks, more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities in Gaza. The conflict has devastated large parts of the coastal enclave, displacing hundreds of thousands and pushing Gaza’s humanitarian crisis to critical levels.
While some hostages have been freed through indirect negotiations, a large number remain in captivity, and prospects for a lasting ceasefire remain uncertain.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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