Middle East live: 28 killed, 54 wounded in Israeli strike on Gaza school as Lebanon peace talks ‘intensify’
US President Joe Biden and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu discussed a response to the Iranian missile attack over the phone
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An Israeli airstrike has killed 28 people and wounded 54 more in a Gaza school which was used as a shelter for displaced people, medics said.
A reporter for Associated Press confirmed an previous death toll of 21, counting bodies as they arrived in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, with some arriving in pieces.
The strike hit Rufaida School in western Deir Al-Balah. Images of the aftermath show children covered in blood and lying on the hospital floor.
Israeli forces said they were targeting militants, adding that “numerous steps were taken” to mitigate harm to civilians.
It comes as the prime minister of Lebanon said on Thursday morning that ceasefire efforts led by the US and France have “intensified”.
“There are contacts taking place between the United States and France with the aim of reviving a ceasefire declaration for a specific period in order to resume the search for political solutions,” Najib Mikati said according to Reuters.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah deputy secretery general Naim Qassem said the group will “support the political efforts” towards a ceasefire.
But Israel’s invasion and bombardment continues, with the Israeli military today saying it killed two more Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon.
Two people killed in northern Israel by Hezbollah rocket fire, medics say
Two people were killed in a town in northern Israel that was hit by rocket fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon on Wednesday, Israeli authorities said.
Israel’s ambulance service said that a man and a woman had been killed in the town of Kirya Shmona. The military said about 20 projectiles had been launched from Lebanon in the barrage.
Underground weapons store destroyed in southern Lebanon, Israeli military says
The Israeli military said it had destroyed an underground weapons store found seven metres below a residential building in southern Lebanon.
“The soldiers located hundreds of weapons, including an underground weapons storage facility approximately seven metres under a home within the village where the troops are operating,” it said.
“Within the weapons storage facility, the troops discovered sniper rifles and numerous weapons.”
What are Israel and Iran’s attack and defence capabilities?
What are Israel and Iran’s attack and defence capabilities?
The two bitter regional enemies are on the brink of all-out war
Pictured: Displaced Lebanese spend another night on the streets
Six wounded in stabbing attack in Israel, police say
At least six people were wounded, two of them seriously, in a stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Hadera on Wednesday, Israeli authorities said.
“The terrorist has been neutralized,” police said in a statement. “Four separate locations have been identified, resulting in six victims with stab wounds.”
The police did not immediately provide other details, but issued a brief video of the suspected attacker being apprehended.
Of the six people rushed to the hospital, at least two were in serious condition, according to medical officials.
Pictured: Hezbollah rockets over northern Israel
Pictured: Smoke rises above Lebanese town
Hamas, Fatah leaders to hold Palestinian unity talks in Cairo
Leaders from the Islamist group Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement will hold further unity talks in Cairo on Wednesday, a Hamas official said.
The media adviser of the Hamas political chief, the Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, according to reports.
It was led by Khalil Al-Hayya, the group’s chief negotiator and Hamas’ second-in-command, currently based in Qatar.
“The meeting will discuss the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, and the challenges facing the Palestinian cause,” Hamas officials said.
Over 42,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, health ministry says
More than 42,010 Palestinians have been killed and 97,720 injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October 2023, Gaza’s health ministry said.
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