Barran Press
On Sunday, August 4, 2024, the Palestinian news agency reported the deaths of 25 Palestinians in an Israeli airstrike targeting two schools in western Gaza City.
According to the agency, Israel launched an airstrike on the "Al-Nasr" and "Hassan Salama" schools in the Al-Nasr neighborhood of western Gaza City, killing 25 Palestinians. The Palestinian Civil Defense confirmed that 80% of the victims were children.
The agency also reported that "Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance crews retrieved two bodies and a number of injured from another Israeli airstrike targeting a group of civilians near the "Dawla" intersection in the Zeitoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City."
The Israeli military continues its airstrikes and shelling of civilians in the Gaza Strip, despite the conclusion of diplomatic talks in Cairo on Saturday without any progress. Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for a significant escalation in the north.
Sirens blared in Ashdod, north of Israel, but at a higher frequency than in previous weeks. The Israeli military said five rockets were launched from southern Gaza. There were no reports of injuries.
The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, said it launched the rockets in response to "massacres against civilians" committed by Israel.
Regarding the negotiations, Hamas accused Netanyahu of hindering progress, stating that he is not interested in reaching an agreement.
"The matter of the agreement has gone beyond details," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas leader. "He who assassinates the movement's leader confirms that he doesn't want any agreement. Netanyahu is dragging the region into an unprecedented clash."
The chances of a breakthrough seem to have dwindled following the assassination of Hamas's political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last Wednesday. This occurred a day after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed the senior military commander in Hezbollah, Fouad Shukr.
Haniyeh's assassination is part of a series of killings targeting several top Hamas leaders as the war in Gaza approaches its eleventh month.
Hamas and Iran accused Israel of carrying out Haniyeh's assassination and vowed retaliation. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination.
Earlier on Sunday, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip confirmed that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli war on the Strip has risen to 39,583 killed and 91,398 injured since October 7, 2023.
The ministry said in its daily statistical report: "The death toll from the Israeli aggression has risen to 39,583 martyrs and 91,398 injuries since last October 7."