WORLD NEWS – Israeli air strike kills 23 in Gaza, including 5-year-old twin girls

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

Israel launched an overnight air strike on a school turned shelter in Gaza City that killed 23 people. Officials are in the midst of negotiations for  a cease-fire deal that would most likely implement a five to seven-year truce and would require Hamas to release all other hostages. There was no immediate comment by the Israeli government, but they later stated that their military only targets militants and blamed any civilian casualties on Hamas for embedding their military within densely populated civilian areas. Another two people were killed in a separate strike, including 5-year-old twin girls. 

France, Germany, and Britain called Israel’s seven-week blockade on all imports to Gaza “intolerable.” This is incredibly stinging criticism from some of Israel’s closest allies. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas to release the hostages to “block Israel’s pretexts” for continuing the war. He reiterated his demands of Hamas and referred to them as “sons of dogs” during a speech he gave in the West Bank.