Charred bodies and cries for help: Gazans describe horrors of Israeli bombing

Israel and Hamas are closing in on a truce deal, Israeli media has reported

People mourn relatives killed in Israeli air strikes on the Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz School in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. AFP

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Israeli air strikes have intensified in different parts of the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, including schools sheltering displaced people and homes, killing 52 people and injuring more than 100, while reports of Hamas and Israel closing in on a ceasefire deal have emerged in Israeli and Arabic media.

Seven Palestinian families were also killed in Gaza in the same period, the health ministry said on Monday, while several victims remain trapped under the rubble or stranded on the streets, with ambulances and civil defence teams are unable to reach them. The Israeli military's incursion in northern Gaza, in progress for more than 70 days, has resulted in a large number of casualties and widespread destruction.

“The scenes in Izbat Beit Hanoun were unimaginable. It’s a miracle we survived,” Shadia Al Ayubi, a mother of four displaced from the village in northern Gaza, told The National. On Sunday night, the army heavily shelled Khalil Awida School in Izbat Beit Hanoun, killing dozens. Buildings in and around the school were destroyed, causing a large number of casualties, witnesses said.

“At dawn, the army forced women and children to leave the school, arresting men and taking them to an unknown location. When we left, we saw burnt bodies in the schoolyard and injured people trapped under rubble. Their cries for help went unanswered due to the lack of rescue teams,” Ms Al Ayubi said.

She walked 12km with her children, passing through newly installed Israeli checkpoints. Her family had sought refuge at the school weeks earlier after fleeing Beit Lahia, and before that, Jabalia refugee camp, due to relentless Israeli bombings.

Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal described testimonies from survivors as “shocking” and highlighted the scale of destruction and death in Izbat Beit Hanoun. “Displaced people reported seeing charred bodies and hearing voices of the injured under rubble.

"Around 15 people were killed inside Khalil Awida School, with another 25 under rubble or in nearby streets. Hundreds have fled to Gaza city following the military’s incursion.” Mr Bassal condemned the continuing attacks on civilians, saying that Israel "exploits the absence of media coverage in northern Gaza and the lack of access for rescue teams to commit atrocities against civilians.”

On Sunday, Israel bombed the Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz School affiliated with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) near Nasser Medical Complex, west of Khan Younis, which shelters displaced persons, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Despite the devastation, many residents in northern Gaza refuse to leave.

Mohammed Rajab, 27, who remains near Kamal Adwan Hospital, described the dire conditions in Beit Lahia. “We hear constant bombings. At night, Israeli forces advance, plant explosive barrels, then retreat to detonate them remotely, leaving destruction everywhere. Even if the military operation ends, there’s no foundation left for life here.” Mr Rajab told The National

He told The National about the absence of food, water, and rescue operations, which have been halted for over 70 days. “Every hour, new martyrs are buried under rubble, and no one can help”.

Ceasefire hope

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said his country is close to reaching a hostage and prisoners swap deal with Hamas, according to Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom. A renewed effort by the US, Qatar and Egypt to broker a Gaza ceasefire has stalled by stringent Israeli conditions and Hamas's reluctance to release too many hostages too quickly, sources told The National on Sunday.

But despite uncertainty about the fate of the talks, the possibility has sparked cautious hope in Gazans. “There’s talk of a truce, but past experiences have taught us not to get our hopes up,” Samir Al Yazji, 33, from the Shujaiyya neighbourhood in northern Gaza, told The National.

“Israel uses the time before any truce to kill as many people as possible and destroy everything. Even if a truce happens, the war won’t stop. They aim to obliterate everything Palestinian in Gaza.” Mr Al Yazji said, while calling for an end to the war which has killed more than 45,000 and injured over 106,000 since October last year. “We need more than a temporary truce. We need lasting peace, relief efforts, and the rebuilding of Gaza to restore dignity and life to its people.”

Six houses were destroyed by Israeli forces on Monday morning in Anata, a town in Jerusalem. The houses were located in a community of Bedouin that includes the houses of eight families who have resided there for more than a decade, Wafa said. The Israeli army said they were built without a permit. Since October 7, Palestinian property, land and livestock has been attacked 16,663 times, the agency reported.