Gaza Hospital Reports 14 Killed in Israeli Attack on UN School

Officials from al-Awda and al-Aqsa hospitals in the Gaza Strip announced that at least 14 people were killed in Israeli attacks on a UN school in the Nuseirat area, among the dead were 2 children and a woman. Additionally, 18 people were injured in these attacks. According to a UN official, six staff members of this international organization were also among the dead. This center, which was previously a boys' school in Gaza, had sheltered displaced Palestinian families. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations in New York, emphasized that UN property should never be attacked by military groups. Meanwhile, an Israeli Air Force spokesperson stated that after measures were taken to minimize the risk of harming civilians, a Hamas command and control post in Nuseirat was targeted. According to the Associated Press, the Israeli Air Force spokesperson insisted that individuals inside the school intended to attack Israeli forces. The Associated Press noted that it could not independently verify this claim. Israel accuses the extremist group Hamas of using civilians as human shields by hiding in schools and hospitals. Concurrently, Hamas announced on Wednesday that it is ready to implement an 'immediate' ceasefire with Israel in Gaza based on a previous US proposal without adding new conditions. The three-phase ceasefire plan for Gaza and the release of hostages was initially proposed by US President Joe Biden and was approved by the UN Security Council last June. However, several rounds of negotiations to finalize its details have not yet yielded results, with the last round of talks held about two weeks ago in Cairo. On Wednesday, Hamas issued a statement about a meeting between Khalil al-Hayya, a senior official of the group, and mediators including Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, and Abbas Kamel, the head of Egyptian intelligence, in Doha to discuss the latest developments in Gaza. The US has called for a ceasefire agreement; protests continue in Israel following the deaths of six hostages. The United States and the European Union classify the extremist group Hamas among terrorist organizations. Negotiations to end this 11-month war have not yet reached a conclusion. One of the unresolved issues between the two sides includes control of the Philadelphi Corridor, which includes a narrow strip of the border between Egypt and Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister stated on September 5 that Israel would only agree to a permanent ceasefire if the border corridor between southern Gaza and Egypt is secured. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on September 7 that 90 percent of the issues had been agreed upon, with the remaining 10 percent related to topics such as the Philadelphi Corridor and the exchange of hostages and prisoners. William Burns, the CIA director and the chief US negotiator regarding Gaza, stated on Saturday that a more detailed ceasefire proposal would be presented in the coming days. The recent war in Gaza began after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and approximately 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli statistics. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks have killed at least 41,084 Palestinians and injured 95,029 others.