Israel bombs school sheltering Gaza’s displaced, sparking fire and killing 23

Israeli strikes targeted Gaza City’s Jaffa School, which was sheltering displaced Palestinians, setting it ablaze on Tuesday night and killing at least 23 people as they slept, medical sources said.

At least one child was burned beyond recognition and succumbed to their wounds.

Hours later medical sources said that at least 19 Palestinians were killed elsewhere across the Strip on Wednesday morning.

Footage showed the school engulfed in fire while people scrambled for safety.

"This is how our children are being burned while they sleep in the tents of the displaced. There are no safe areas, and no survivors of this genocide. Gaza City and its northern areas have been subjected to heavy Israeli shelling and artillery for hours," Al-Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif wrote on X.

At least one other child was killed in the Jabalia area north of Gaza City amid heavy strikes. Rescue teams said the bombardment has destroyed homes and trapped many civilians under the rubble, making them hard to reach.

Israeli ministers fight over Gaza aid deliveries

Israel’s total blockade on Gaza has also sparked divisions within the Israeli government, with reports of a bitter fight breaking out at a cabinet meeting between army chief Eyal Zamir and extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The argument began after Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the Israeli army or American soldiers should distribute aid to Gaza, claiming that any other method of distribution would mean that aid would fall into the hands of Hamas.

Israel’s military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, slammed the idea, saying that the army "will not distribute humanitarian aid, and we will not starve the Gaza Strip".

Israel has imposed a total ban on aid deliveries to Gaza and NGOs operating there have warned that a famine has already started.

Smotrich was angered by Zamir's comment, reportedly telling him that the army "doesn't choose its own missions.

"If you’re saying you’re incapable of appointing someone, then you can be replaced," Smotrich added, according to Israeli media.

The extremist minister then reportedly walked out of the cabinet meeting.

The total siege on Gaza, which started on 2 March, has had a catastrophic impact on the health sector, with a health ministry spokesperson highlighting that kidney dialysis patients are struggling to receive treatment and that over 400 people have died during the war due to a lack of treatment.

Civilians have also struggled to get food, vaccinations, shelter, equipment and other essentials amid the ongoing siege.

Hamas delegation in Cairo

The latest developments come as a Hamas delegation is heading to Cairo for a new round of negotiations aimed at ending the war on the Strip and freeing the captives.

Truce efforts have stalled in recent weeks amid an Israeli demand that Hamas give up its weapons.

The Palestinian group has completely rejected the idea and instead insisted on a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to the war.

Two sources familiar with the negotiation efforts said the talks would be centred on a new proposal, which would include a truce for five to seven years following the release of all captives and an end to the war, Reuters reported.

Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya also said a delegation “will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss new ideas aimed at reaching a ceasefire", however, Israel has yet to respond to the new proposal.

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, also said his country was still working with mediators to end the war in recent comments.

No more 'safe zones'

After Israel resumed its brutal war on the Gaza Strip on 18 March, it quietly stopped designating any area as a ‘safe zone’ or ‘humanitarian zone’.

Civilians and rights groups have long said that Israel continues to target people in the zones, and the army does not give enough notice time for people to leave before it strikes areas.

The army has now stopped dropping maps by air, which marked where the supposed zones were located. The UN now estimates that around 70 percent of Gaza is now under an evacuation order or is a "no-go zone"

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 51,000 Palestinians since October 2023, with more than 1,700 killed since March. The war has completely devastated Gaza and thousands of uncounted victims are believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings.