At least 53 Palestinians, including a journalist and rescue workers, were killed in Israeli air and ground attacks on Gaza, medics said. The Israeli military targeted militants planning attacks, but the exact number of militants killed is not confirmed.
Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Al-Louh was among those killed, along with five others in an airstrike on the civil emergency centre in Nuseirat market area. Another strike hit a house in Nuseirat camp, killing five people, including children.
The Israeli military claimed that Al-Louh was a member of the militant group Islamic Jihad, but Al Jazeera did not immediately comment on this allegation. Hamas media said the head of the civil emergency service in Nuseirat, Nedal Abu Hjayyer, was also killed.
Other airstrikes targeted Hamas-linked men tasked with protecting aid trucks and several houses in Gaza City, killing at least 11 people. In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, medics said that at least 20 people were killed when an airstrike hit a shelter housing displaced families.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas stormed into Israel, leading to a war that has killed almost 45,000 people, mostly civilians. A bid by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to reach a truce has gained momentum in recent weeks, but no breakthrough has been announced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken with U.S. President-elect Trump about efforts to secure a hostage release.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-troops-kill-20-gaza-strip-attack-school-sheltering-displaced-2024-12-15