Israeli strikes pound Gaza as Gantz threatens to resign from war cabinet

Early on Saturday, Israel launched strikes across various parts of Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz threatened to resign amid disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a "plan" for the post-war period in the Palestinian sector, now in its ninth month.

In the early hours of Saturday, witnesses and AFP teams reported airstrikes in different areas of Gaza, including central regions that have faced heavy bombardment in recent days, resulting in dozens of casualties, according to local and medical sources in the sector.

One of these strikes on Thursday targeted a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Nuseirat camp, killing 37 people according to a local hospital. 

The Israeli army claimed responsibility for this strike, stating it targeted a "Hamas compound." On Friday, the army reported that it had killed "17 terrorists" in the school.

However, Hamas said in a statement that the Israeli army disseminated "false information."

"The list published by the Israeli occupation army includes three citizens who are still alive and were not martyred, including one person who has been traveling for years and now lives outside Palestine," it added.

The statement continued that "the list published by the Israeli occupation army includes names of people who were martyred in other locations and at different times."

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel of targeting the school "without prior warning," which, according to him, sheltered "6,000 displaced people" due to the fighting.

The conflict, which entered its ninth month on Friday, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, destroyed most parts of the Gaza Strip, and displaced the majority of its 2.4 million residents, who are now facing the threat of famine.

A week after US President Joe Biden announced what he described as an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas, diplomatic efforts to reach a truce seem to be at a standstill, despite discussions held this week in Doha.

In this context, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan next week, as announced by Washington.

However, this visit may be preceded by a shift in the political landscape in Israel.

Benny Gantz, the former Israeli army chief of staff who has become a political rival to Netanyahu, announced that he will hold a press conference on Saturday evening.

Local media have speculated that Gantz may announce his resignation from the war cabinet that was formed after the outbreak of fighting following the attack launched by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7.

AFP