20 killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes pound civilian sites

Shafaq News - Gaza

20 people were killed early Thursday in a wave of Israeli airstrikes that struck multiple locations across the Gaza Strip, including a school sheltering displaced families, according to Palestinian media reports.

The most devastating attack struck the Amr Ibn al-As School, north of Gaza City, killing nine people and injuring several others. Another strike in the city’s west targeted a residential building, leaving six dead and 20 wounded.

In the south, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported five fatalities in Khan Younis after a missile hit a tent housing members of one family.

As the bombardment continues, the Palestinian Center for Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons reported at least 39 people missing near US-Israeli aid distribution points, many of whom vanished during or after strikes or gunfire at overcrowded sites—raising fears “they may be buried under rubble or abducted.”

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the total death toll from Israel’s military campaign has climbed to 56,156, with 132,239 others wounded since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023.

The strikes are ongoing at the time of reporting, with the death toll continuing to rise.