Israeli forces have killed six Palestinians, including a baby, who were sheltering in a school in Gaza City, hospital officials said on Friday. The attack brings the number of Palestinians killed by Israel since the October ceasefire took effect to 401, according to Palestinian authorities.
The Israeli military fired over the ceasefire line—the yellow demarcation marking where troops have withdrawn to under the truce—striking the school, the Palestinian civil defence reported. It said it coordinated with the UN to recover the bodies safely.
Dozens gathered at Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital to mourn the dead, with five body bags placed outside and a man cradling an infant wrapped in a white shroud. Witness Nafiz al-Nader described the incident as “a bloodbath, not a truce,” while another witness reported that shelling erupted without warning on Friday night.
The killings are the latest challenge to the fragile ceasefire, now in its third month, as mediators push for a second phase aiming at a permanent end to hostilities. The first phase required an end to fighting, Israeli withdrawal to the yellow line, and increased humanitarian aid. The second phase is meant to achieve a lasting peace, but disagreements remain over Hamas disarmament and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.
On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the force’s mandate must be clarified before countries commit troops. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani warned on Thursday that further delays “endanger the entire process.”
The war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. More than 70,925 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent military campaign, according to the Gaza health ministry. A UN commission, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have accused Israel of genocide, a claim Israel denies.
