At least 52 people were killed Monday in Israeli shelling of Gaza, according to Palestinian Civil Defense, including 33 at a school housing displaced people, amid international calls for Israel to halt its assault on the starving Palestinian enclave. Amid the escalation of the violent Israeli military campaign, a Hamas source confirmed that "the movement has agreed to the mediators' latest offer for a temporary ceasefire."
The source explained to Agence France-Presse, "The offer Hamas has accepted is the one that calls for a 70-day truce in exchange for the release of 10 hostages in two batches." According to the source, "During the truce, negotiations will begin on a permanent ceasefire with American guarantees."
The Hebrew state intensified its offensive in the Gaza Strip on May 17, declaring that the goal was to release the remaining hostages, seize control of the Gaza Strip, and eliminate Hamas, whose unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, sparked the war in Gaza.
In recent days, the Civil Defense in Gaza has confirmed daily the deaths of dozens of people, including many children, in the ongoing bombardment of the Strip, whose 2.4 million residents have been under a tight Israeli blockade for more than 19 months.
Farah Nasser, a displaced woman from Beit Hanoun, woke up to the sound of shelling and saw "scenes of horror." Chaos amid the stench of death, fire, brimstone, and blood.
Photos taken by AFP photographers showed displaced people residing in the school, whose courtyard was covered with tents, undamaged in the morning.
At Al-Ahli Hospital, women wept over their relatives shrouded in white.
Palestinian Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal told AFP that at least 33 people were killed in the bombing of the Fahmi al-Jirjawi School in Gaza City at dawn on Monday, and dozens were wounded, "most of them children," describing what happened as a "horrific massacre."
The Israeli army said the strike on the school targeted "senior terrorists operating in a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command center located in an area that was formerly a school... in the vicinity of Gaza City."
Israel often accuses Hamas of exploiting schools or hospitals for its activities, a charge the Islamist movement denies. The Israeli army has bombed these facilities several times, causing large numbers of deaths.
Later, a Civil Defense spokesman reported that 19 Palestinians from the Abd family were killed. Rabbah, following an airstrike early Monday morning on a house in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military announced that it had detected "three projectiles fired from the southern Gaza Strip toward population centers near the Strip. Two of them fell inside the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli Air Force intercepted a third before it crossed into Israel."
It also reported that in the past 48 hours, it had targeted "more than 200 sites," including "terrorist... sniper and anti-tank missile launch sites, as well as tunnel entrances."
The current situation has sparked growing international outrage, even among traditional allies of Israel.
Last week, the European Union voted to review its association agreement with the Jewish state.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vehemently condemned Israel's actions and threatened to halt his support for Benjamin Netanyahu's government. He asserted, "Frankly, I no longer understand what the Israeli military is doing now in the Gaza Strip, and what its purpose is."
He added, "The way in which the civilian population is being harmed, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, is no longer possible." Justifying it by fighting Hamas terrorism.
However, German Foreign Minister Johann Vadephul confirmed on Monday that Germany would continue selling arms to Israel.
Spain, meanwhile, asked its European Union partners to impose a ban on arms sales to Israel.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Monday that "this attack, which has no military objective unless the goal is to turn Gaza into a gigantic graveyard, must be stopped as soon as possible."
US President Donald Trump expressed his hope on Sunday that "this entire situation will be stopped as soon as possible."
The war erupted after a surprise attack launched by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,218 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
During the attack, 251 hostages were also taken, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who Israel said were killed.
Since the start of the war, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza has reached 53,977, the majority of whom were civilians. Civilians, including women and children, were killed, and 122,797 were injured. At least 3,822 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed its strikes and military operations, according to the latest toll released Sunday by the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.
The Israeli offensive is coupled with a crippling blockade that has exacerbated shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicine in the small Palestinian enclave, raising fears of famine. Aid organizations say the amount of supplies allowed into the territory by Israel in recent days is barely a drop in the ocean compared to the population's urgent needs.
Meanwhile, the director of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was preparing to bring aid into the Gaza Strip, abruptly announced his resignation effective Sunday, raising doubts about the relief effort.
Jake Wood said in a statement that he felt "compelled to leave his position after realizing that the organization cannot fulfill its mission in accordance with its commitment to humanitarian principles."
In a statement issued Monday, the board of directors of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation expressed regret over the resignation of its chairman and confirmed that aid distribution would begin.
The Geneva-based organization pledged in February to distribute approximately 300 million meals during its first 90 days of operation.
The United Nations and non-governmental organizations have confirmed that they will not participate in the distribution of aid provided by this organization, which is accused of working with Israel.
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