Gaza strip

At least 15 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli attack on a Gaza City school that was housing displaced people on Saturday (Aug 3), hours after two strikes in the occupied West Bank killed nine militants, including a local Hamas leader, according to the Palestinian militant group.

Advertisment

The Israeli military said that the first airstrike in the West Bank targeted a vehicle in a town near Tulkarm, aiming at a militant group heading to launch an attack.

According to a statement by Hamas, one of those killed was a leader of the organisation's Tulkarm brigades, while its ally Islamic Jihad said the other four people killed in the hit were combatants.

Hours later, Israel's military claimed a second bombing in the vicinity targeted another group of militants who had fired on forces, as part of a counter-terrorism operation in Tulkarm.

Advertisment

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, four people were killed in that strike, while Hamas claimed that all nine of those killed in the two Israeli assaults in the West Bank were militants.

Violence in the West Bank had been increasing even before the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and has continued to rise, with frequent Israeli raids in the area, which Palestinians aim to include in their state. 

Also read: Ukraine war: Kyiv says it sank Russian submarine, hit depots

Advertisment

According to the Hamas-government media office, at least 15 people were killed in the Gaza Strip after Israel struck a school housing displaced residents in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.

The Israeli military claims the school was being used by Hamas as a command centre, to conceal militants, and to produce weapons. Hamas has rejected these accusations, saying they do not use civilian sites like schools and hospitals for military purposes.

According to Gaza health officials, Israel's military operation has killed at least 39,550 Palestinians since the beginning of the war. The conflict was initiated by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, which led to the killing of 1,200 people, while 250 others were taken as hostages, according to Israeli officials.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.