Scores killed in Gaza as Israel intensifies strikes

Over 80 Palestinians were killed Thursday across the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces intensified airstrikes throughout the region, according to local health officials. Many of the dead were civilians, including those seeking humanitarian aid.

The escalation came as negotiations toward a ceasefire moved forward. Hamas leaders reportedly met to prepare a response to a new proposal, which Israel has already accepted.

In Gaza City, a school sheltering displaced families was struck, killing 15 people and injuring 25 more. Dr. Mohammad Abu Silmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital, said many victims had severe burns. The hospital is treating the wounded.

“The scene was extremely harrowing due to the charred bodies of the martyrs and children,” said Fares Afana, who leads emergency medical services in northern Gaza. His teams responded to the strike, helping evacuate the injured from the school.

Officials said 12 more people were killed in separate strikes across the city.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it targeted a key Hamas figure operating from a command center inside the school. The military claimed it took "numerous steps to mitigate civilian harm," including using precision-guided munitions and aerial surveillance.

In the previous 24 hours, Israel reportedly struck around 150 locations in Gaza, targeting what it described as militant sites, tunnels, weapons facilities, and sniper positions.

Images from the aftermath showed burned buildings and blackened bodies. Children walked across the rubble of Mustafa Hafez School, which had been sheltering families fleeing earlier attacks.

“Every so often, the Israelis would bomb the school, forcing us to flee,” said one woman who did not give her name. “Then we’d return when the bombing stopped. Today, the pressure was intense.”

In the south, Nasser Hospital reported 35 deaths Thursday morning. Fifteen people were killed while waiting for food aid in Khan Younis. Another 20 died in strikes on encampments in the area, according to the hospital’s spokesperson, Ahmad Al-Fara.

The aid seekers were reportedly hit near a humanitarian distribution site supported by the U.S. in Al-Tahliya.

“They said it was a safe zone,” said Awad Barbach, who was mourning a relative. “Is this what safety looks like?”

In another incident near the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, 25 people died as crowds gathered around food trucks. Witnesses described chaos, panic, and gunfire.

“It was a trap,” said Ahmed Khella, a survivor. “People were stabbing each other for food. Then came an hour and a half of gunfire. I’m not Hamas or Fatah. I’m just a civilian trying to eat. Instead, I found death.”

Khella also criticized Gaza’s leadership. “Where are they?” he said. “They are all dogs.”

The violence comes amid growing international pressure for a ceasefire. Humanitarian groups warn of catastrophe. “Gaza is not just a battlefield. It’s collapsing,” said one medical relief worker.

While talks continue, civilians remain at the center of the conflict. Aid distribution has become deadly, and shelters have turned into graveyards. The demand for peace grows more urgent by the day.

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