Author: Nidal Mugrabi and Ali Sawafta
CAIRO/RAMALLA (Reuters) – An Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza city killed at least 15 Palestinians on Saturday, Hamas said, hours after an attack in occupied Jordan Two air strikes occurred on the west bank of the river, killing nine militants, including a local Hamas commander.
The Israeli military said the first of two airstrikes in the West Bank hit a vehicle in a town near the city of Tulkarem, targeting an armed group it said was carrying out attacks.
Hamas’ statement said one of the dead was a commander of its Tulkarem brigade, while its ally Islamic Jihad claimed the other four men killed in the attack were its fighters.
The Israeli military said a second airstrike in the area hours later targeted another group of militants who fired on troops in what it said was a counterterrorism operation in Tulkarem.
Palestinian news agency WAFA said the attack killed four people, while Hamas said all nine people killed in two Israeli attacks in the West Bank were militants.
Violence in the West Bank had been increasing ahead of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, with Israel frequently attacking the area, one of the areas where Palestinians seek statehood.
Palestinian street attacks against Israel have also increased.
Gaza attack
In the Gaza Strip, Israel attacked a school at a shelter for displaced people in the Shehradwan neighborhood of Gaza City, killing at least 15 people, the Hamas government media office said.
The Israeli military said the school was used as a command center for Hamas to hide militants and manufacture weapons. Hamas denies Israeli accusations that it operates in civilian facilities such as schools and hospitals.
Gaza health officials said an Israeli attack on the enclave early Saturday killed six people in a house in the southern area of Rafah and two others in Gaza city.
The Israeli military said its forces struck militants and destroyed Hamas infrastructure in Rafah and elsewhere in the enclave.
At least 39,550 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military operation in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials. The offensive was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 that left 1,200 people dead and 250 abducted, according to Israeli statistics.
A high-level Israeli delegation paid a brief visit to Cairo on Saturday in an attempt to revive Gaza cease-fire talks, Egyptian Airports Authority sources said. Israeli media said the delegation returned to Israel a few hours later.
A breakthrough appears unlikely after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday, raising regional tensions. Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander of Hezbollah, died.
As the war in Gaza approaches its 11th month, Haniyeh’s death is one of a series of killings of senior Hamas figures, fueling concerns that the conflict in Gaza is evolving into a broader Middle East war.
Both Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of assassinating Haniyeh and promised revenge. Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the deaths.
Italy on Saturday urged Iran to show restraint.
“Italy appeals to Iran to exercise restraint and contribute to the de-escalation of the situation in the entire Mediterranean region and in the Middle East,” the Italian Foreign Ministry said, adding that the message had been conveyed to the Iranian ambassador.
