A senior Hamas official was among four people killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City, according to Palestinian sources.
A local official informed the BBC that Ehab Al-Ghussein, who had been appointed three months ago to manage the Hamas government affairs in Gaza City and northern Gaza, was among those killed.
The Israeli army stated that it targeted a school building in Gaza City where it claimed “terrorists were operating and hiding” and emphasized that steps were taken to minimize civilian harm.
Eyewitnesses reported that the airstrike targeted the Holy Family School next to the Holy Family Church in western Gaza City. The BBC understands that many people were sheltering in the building. The airstrike hit two classrooms on the ground floor.
Ehab Al-Ghussein was previously the deputy labour minister in the Hamas administration and an interior ministry spokesman. While his death is not seen as a significant military loss for Hamas, he was considered an important figure in the Hamas administration’s leadership.
Many other Hamas officials have been killed in the past nine months. In an Israeli airstrike last November, the deputy culture minister and the deputy speaker of the legislative council were among those killed, along with other government employees and senior police officers.
Separately, the Israeli military issued another evacuation order for a central part of Gaza City.
Ibrahim Al-Barbari, who lives in the Bani Amer neighborhood with his family, told the BBC that dozens of families were leaving, with women and children carrying bags and heading west.
“We heard from the neighbours that we had to leave the house. We haven’t received any calls or texts from the army, but we have already started gathering our belongings in preparation for moving again.
“We have been living in a state of near famine for months.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that any ceasefire agreement in Gaza must permit Israel to resume fighting until its objectives are achieved.
These objectives include dismantling Hamas’s military and governance structures and securing the return of hostages.
Hamas officials are currently waiting for Israel’s response to the latest ceasefire proposals. The conflict was sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, during which Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages back to Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, Israel’s offensive has resulted in the deaths of at least 38,098 Palestinians.