People are seen through the shrapnel-riddled windscreen of a bus that was damaged when an Israeli artillery shell reportedly landed near it on Gaza's main Salah al-Din road outside Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 24, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Israel's latest airstrike on a school being used as a shelter resulted in 17 dead and 42 people wounded.
The strike's aftermath has prompted renewed international calls for a ceasefire.
Details came in on Thursday while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking from Qatar, announced that negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages would resume shortly.
"What we really have to determine is whether Hamas is prepared to engage," Blinken said, emphasizing that Israel had "effectively dismantled" Hamas through its military campaign.
Blinken also announced an additional $135 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinians, while again urging Israel to allow more assistance to enter the territory.
The deadly airstrike highlights the intensifying humanitarian crisis in Gaza, particularly in the north, where Israeli forces have been conducting a ground offensive for more than two weeks.
A Deadly Conflict
Recent figures suggest Israel's offensives within the territory have claimed more than 42,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The ministry reports that more than half those killed are women and children.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 Hamas fighters as part of its mission to destroy the Iran-backed militant group. Hamas admitted perpetrating the Oct. 7 massacre last year, which sparked the current conflict when over 1,200 Israelis were killed. Around 100 hostages are still being held, with only 70 believed to be alive.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. Blinken said Israel had accomplished its objective of "effectively dismantling" Hamas, and pledged for renewed ceasefire negotiations following news of the shelter strike.
Gaza Medics Struggle
In northern Gaza, where Israeli operations have been focused, hospitals are on the brink of collapse due to shortages of medical supplies, food, and fuel.
Dr. Hossam Abu Safiyeh, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, described the situation as "catastrophic," noting that his staff is losing at least one patient every hour due to a lack of resources.
"Our ambulances can't transfer wounded people," he said in a video message.
Those who can arrive by themselves to the hospital receive care, but those who don't just die in the streets."
Kamal Adwan is one of only three hospitals in northern Gaza still functioning.
Health workers are struggling to care for the 150 patients currently in their care, with severely diminished capacity in intensive care unit, which cares for 14 children at present.
The hospital director added, "We are providing the bare minimum to patients. Everyone is paying the price of what is happening now in northern Gaza."
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