Palestinian health officials reported that at least 30 Palestinians died in an Israeli airstrike against a school in Gaza housing displaced persons on Saturday. Israel claimed the attack was aimed at militants using the compound.

Hamas-run media reported that 15 children and 8 women were killed in the attack in central town Deir Al-Balah. Gaza's health ministry and media office reported that more than 100 people had been injured.

Israel's military claimed that it has taken steps to minimize the risk of civilians and militants.

Ambulances brought the injured to Al-Aqsa Hospital, Deir Al-Balah. Some people were on foot and their clothes were stained with blood.

The footage shows people returning to the scene of the attack to check their belongings and fires raging in the area. In the schoolyard where cars were damaged, walls were blown and debris was scattered.

Um Hasan Ali said that it was only a few months ago when she and her daughter, who had been sent to Egypt for medical treatment, returned from Egypt to Gaza. She said that her daughter was injured in the attack and taken to a hospital.

Ibtihal Ahmad, a second woman, said she was in the tent of a neighbor when she heard heavy explosions.

"I began running. My daughter was in one place, and I was in another. I saw people running to the area that had been struck. She said that the people who are sheltering at Khadija School are all innocent people and are injured. This should not have happened to them.

Israel claims that Hamas is using Gazan civilians as human shiels, operating in densely populated zones, humanitarian zones, hospitals and schools, but Hamas denies this.

"Hamas terrorists were using the compound (of the school) as a place of hiding to plan and direct numerous attacks against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel." The terrorists also developed and stored large amounts of weapons in the compound, according to a military statement.

CEASEFIRE TALKS

William Burns, CIA director, was to meet with his Israeli and Egyptian colleagues and Qatar's Prime Minister this weekend in Rome for discussions on a Gaza ceasefire as well as the release of Hamas hostages.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that Israel's response was sent to Washington ahead of the meeting. This is the latest attempt to reach an agreement after months where Israel and Hamas blamed eachother for the deadlock.

According to local health officials, the Israeli offensive on Gaza has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians. They do not make a distinction between combatants and non-combatants.

Israel, which lost 328 soldiers during the Gaza conflict, estimates that about one-third of Palestinians have been killed by fighters since Israel launched its offensive as a response to an attack led by Hamas in southern Israel last October.

According to Israeli statistics, the attack on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 and took 250 hostages.

The military announced on Saturday that it had ordered Palestinians to leave the southern neighborhoods of Khan Younis where it would "forcefully" operate against militant groups and move to Al-Mawasi's humanitarian zone.

Health officials reported that 14 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Khan Younis Saturday. The military claimed to have killed militants and seized weapons in the area.

Five Palestinians had been killed earlier in an Israeli airstrike in al-Bureij in central Gaza. Four others had also died in a strike in Rafah near the border of Egypt.

U.N. officials and humanitarian officials have accused Israel of using excessive force during the war, and failing to provide safe refuge for civilians. Israel denies these accusations.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abdullah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank attributed the Israeli attacks to the United States.

The violence in the West Bank was increasing even before the Gaza War began. Since then, it has increased with frequent Israeli raids on Palestinian streets and Palestinian street attacks.

The Israeli military reported that an Israeli drone killed a person on Saturday in Nablus, West Bank, after Palestinian gunmen shot at an Israeli army position and injured a soldier.

The local militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and stated that the victim of the Israeli drone strike is a member. Reporting by Emily Rose in Jerusalem and Maayan Loubell in Cairo; Ramadan Abed and Ali Sawafta, in Ramallah and Gaza. Editing by Frances Kerry & Helen Popper.