An overnight Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City has killed 23 people, officials in the enclave have said.
There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on the strike, which set several tents ablaze, reportedly burning people alive.
The IDF says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because its fighters are embedded in densely populated areas.
In addition to the strike on the school, Gaza’s Civil Defence, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government, said it recovered another four bodies from strikes on two homes in the same area.
The strikes come as France, Germany and the UK said Israel’s seven-week blockade on all imports into Gaza, including food, was “intolerable,” in unusually strong criticism from three of the country’s closest allies.
“Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change. Israel is bound under international law to allow the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid,” the joint statement said.
Israeli ground forces have expanded a buffer zone along the border, encircled the southern city of Rafah and now control around 50% of the coastal territory.
Israel says its military operations and the tightened blockade are tactics to pressure Hamas to release hostages.
Aid groups say thousands of children are malnourished and most people are surviving on one meal a day or less.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on Hamas to release the hostages in order to “block Israel’s pretexts” for continuing the war.
He reiterated his demands that Hamas give up their arms, referring to them as “sons of dogs” in unusually strong language during a speech in the West Bank.
Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority, has no influence over Hamas but is seeking a role in post-war Gaza.
Ceasefire efforts
Egypt and Qatar are still developing a ceasefire proposal, which would include the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Strip and the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to an Egyptian official and a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas last month and has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and the militant group is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile.
It says it will hold parts of Gaza indefinitely and implement US President Donald Trump’s proposal for the resettlement of the population in other countries, which has been widely rejected internationally.
Hamas has said it will only release the dozens of hostages it still holds in return for Palestinian prisoners, a complete Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire, as called for in the now-defunct agreement reached in January.
A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo late on Tuesday to discuss the evolving proposal.
The Egyptian official said the proposed truce, with international guarantees, would last between five and seven years, and that a committee of politically independent technocrats would govern Gaza, a measure Hamas has accepted.
The Hamas official said the militant group is open to a long-term truce that includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and international guarantees, naming Russia, China, Turkey or the United Nations Security Council as possible guarantors.
