Israeli strikes kill 32 across Gaza: medics

Published July 30, 2014
Heavy smoke and fire billow following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City. — Photo by AFP
Heavy smoke and fire billow following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City. — Photo by AFP

GAZA CITY: Israeli bombardments in the early hours of Wednesday killed 32 Palestinians in Gaza, including 20 at a UN school, medics said, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas entered its 23rd day.

A shelling shortly after 5:30 am (0230 GMT) killed 20 people at a UN school being used as a shelter for those displaced by the war, medics said, without giving immediate details.

A UN official confirmed the shelling, saying it hit a bathroom and two classrooms on the site in Jabalia refugee camp, but gave a lower initial toll of between 13 and 15 dead.

A shelling earlier in the northern Gaza Strip killed an 11-year-old handicapped girl, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said, with a subsequent shelling in the centre of the small coastal territory killing a 16-year-old girl.

A strike shortly afterwards in the southern city of Khan Yunis killed nine members of a single family, Qudra said, including one child who could not immediately be identified.

A middle-aged man was killed early in the morning in the southern city of Rafah.

The deaths brought the total Palestinian toll from an Israeli operation to stamp out militant rocket fire to at least 1,262, according to Qudra's figures.

On the Israeli side, militant fire, including cross-border rocket fire, has killed 53 Israeli soldiers in addition to three civilians inside Israel.

Opinion

Editorial

Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.
Missing links
Updated 27 Apr, 2024

Missing links

As the past decades have shown, the country has not been made more secure by ‘disappearing’ people suspected of wrongdoing.
Freedom to report?
27 Apr, 2024

Freedom to report?

AN accountability court has barred former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife from criticising the establishment...
After Bismah
27 Apr, 2024

After Bismah

BISMAH Maroof’s contribution to Pakistan cricket extends beyond the field. The 32-year old, Pakistan’s...