Israel attacked an UNRWA school in Al-Shati camp on Thursday, where thousands of displaced Palestinians have been seeking shelter since the start of the war.
The Rafah crossing is set to open up once again on Thursday to allow for the evacuation of foreign nationals from Gaza after a reported Qatar-brokered deal.
More than 500 foreigners, including dual nationals, and 81 people were were seriously injured were able to exit Gaza on Wednesday through the vital crossing for the first time since the start of the Israeli war on October 7.
The Gaza Borders and Crossings Authority released a list of 596 foreign and dual nationals the following day, permitting their entry into Egypt through the border. Hundreds had already been waiting at the crossing for nearly a month in hopes of eventually escaping the brutal Israeli bombardment of the besieged enclave.
Figures shared by Al Jazeera said the new list includes 400 Americans, 20 Dutch, 50 Belgians, 17 Sri Lankans, 24 Greeks, among other nationalities. Jordan and the United Kingdom were able to evacuate citizens during the first phase.
The development came after Qatar reportedly brokered an agreement between Egypt, Israel and Hamas in coordination with the United States that allows the evacuation of foreign passport holders and some seriously wounded individuals from Gaza through Rafah.
Reuters, which first broke the story, cited a source who confirmed the Qatari mediation, though it is separate from other negotiations undertaken by Doha, including the release of captives from Hamas.
It remains unclear how long the crossing will remain open for dual national evacuees but Al Jazeera showed a number of ambulances awaiting injured patients on the Egyptian side.
Doctors Without Borders confirmed on Wednesday that there are more than 20,000 wounded still trapped in Gaza, where medics are struggling to treat patients due to a lack of medical resources and power outages.
Gaza has been under an Israeli siege since October 8, preventing locals from access to water, food, medication and electricity.
“Essential medical supplies and humanitarian workers must be allowed to enter Gaza, where hospitals are overcrowded and the health system is at risk of complete collapse,” the organisation said in a statement.
Since the start of the war on October 7, Israel has killed at least 8,805 Palestinians, including 3,648 children. The United Nations’ children agency (UNICEF) described the Strip as “a graveyard for children”.
Hospitals are facing what the UN has described as “an unprecedented level of devastation” as medics work round the clock to respond to thousands of injuries with limited resources.
More than one-third of hospitals in Gaza have already shut down either due to damage or lack of fuel, and the remaining 10 hospitals in the north of the Strip continue to face threats of bombing by Israel.
On Monday, an Israeli attack destroyed the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital—the only cancer treating facility in Gaza.
Nearly a month since the start of the war, Israel has ramped up its brutal bombardment in Gaza, carrying out what Palestinian authorities have said are “hundreds” of massacres on the ground.
The latest massacre was carried out in the Jabalia refugee camp, the biggest in Gaza, on Tuesday, in which occupation forces killed hundreds of people. Israel carried out two other attacks in the same area within 24 hours.
The Zionist regime targeted an UNRWA school in Al-Shati camp on Thursday, where thousands of displaced Palestinians have been seeking shelter since the start of the war.
