Over 50 individuals lost their lives in recent Israeli air and ground strikes throughout the Gaza Strip, as reported by local medical personnel and rescue workers.
Among the deceased were children and a cameraman, along with Civil Defense agency members.
The Israeli military stated that its operations targeted facilities utilized by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, these fatalities have raised the total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza during the ongoing conflict to over 45,000.
The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and non-combatants, though it reported in October that nearly 30,000 children, women, and the elderly were included in the fatalities.
These figures are often contested by the Israeli government, which claims that around 20,000 militants have been killed, although U.N. agencies largely accept the higher death toll.
This conflict was ignited on October 7, 2023, when Hamas conducted an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 others.
Many victims of the latest attacks were sheltered inside a United Nations-run school in Khan Younis.
Eyewitness accounts describe a bloody scene with casualties, including children, being retrieved from the affected area.
“People thought they were safe, just resting after the evening prayer,” said a local resident whose relatives were among those killed.
Medical personnel reported at least 13 fatalities from one site, while a U.N. representative indicated approximately 20 casualties, many of whom were women and children.
“The suffering is relentless, and we continue to endure immense pain,” a resident from central Gaza expressed.
The Israel Defense Forces announced that it executed a carefully targeted strike against Hamas operatives inside a command center located within the school.
They accused Hamas of compromising civilian safety by employing civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
Additionally, medics reported casualties at another school-turned-shelter in the northern town of Beit Hanoun, which has experienced a prolonged siege by Israeli forces.
The U.N. is currently monitoring new reports indicating that over 1,500 individuals have been displaced following the siege of Khalil Aweida school.
The IDF confirmed conducting a raid on what it described as a terrorist assembly point in Beit Hanoun.
A separate airstrike targeted a Civil Defense building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, resulting in multiple casualties.
A Civil Defense spokesman reported that the casualties included key personnel from their centers, alongside other volunteers and injured individuals.
“This highlights the lack of safety for humanitarian workers in Gaza, as adherence to international humanitarian laws continues to be ignored,” the spokesman stated, noting that 94 Civil Defense workers have died since the conflict commenced.
Notably, a cameraman was killed during a rescue operation following an earlier strike, raising concerns within the media community about the safety of journalists in conflict zones.
Reports indicate that the IDF claimed the Civil Defense building was being used to orchestrate imminent attacks, including unverified allegations about individuals killed in the strike.
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that at least 137 journalists and media workers have died within Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since the onset of hostilities.