ISRAEL

The attack wrecked classrooms, and survivors had to go through the debris to discover the victims and collect the remains.

Harris reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense while expressing deep concerns over the high casualties in Gaza. "The devastation in Gaza over the past nine months is overwhelming. We cannot ignore these tragedies or become desensitized to the suffering," she said, adding, "We cannot allow ourselves to be numb to the suffering and I will not be silent."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Gaza ceasefire demonstrators Wednesday and called for a global alliance against the Iranian regime he accuses of funding them, as he addressed a US Congress divided by the war.

A Hamas official said Sunday that the Palestinian group was withdrawing from Gaza truce talks, as Israeli bombardments hit a school a day after a deadly strike targeting the militant commander Mohammed Deif.

Palestinian health officials labeled the attack a "massacre."

Israel's army dropped thousands of leaflets over war-torn Gaza City on Wednesday urging all residents to flee a heavy offensive through the main city of the besieged Palestinian territory. The leaflets, addressed to "everyone in Gaza City", set out designated escape routes and warned that the urban area would "remain a dangerous combat zone".

Hamas is now open to negotiating towards achieving a permanent ceasefire throughout the initial six-week phase of the agreement.

Witnesses reported intense bombing and shelling around Khan Yunis, southern Gaza's main city from which Israeli forces withdrew in early April after a devastating months-long battle.

Israel's army states that it is engaged in combat with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters.

Israeli forces on Tuesday bombarded besieged Gaza where Palestinian officials said one strike killed 10 family members of Hamas' Qatar-based political chief Ismail Haniyeh, including his sister.

French President Emmanuel Macron and King Abdullah II of Jordan Monday called on Israel to lift all land-based "restrictions" on the delivery of aid to war-torn Gaza, the presidency said.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that "intense" fighting against Hamas militants in the southern Gaza city of Rafah is nearly over, more than eight months into the devastating war.

The Houthis, who have held Yemen's capital, Sanaa, since 2014, did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack.

The proposed sale, which includes air-to-air missiles, approximately 50 F-15 fighter jets, and Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, has proceeded despite reservations from top Democrats on foreign affairs committees.

Gaza saw its first day of relative calm in months Sunday, after Israel's military said it would "pause" fighting daily around a southern route to facilitate aid flows, following repeated UN warnings of famine in the Palestinian territory.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken said Wednesday that a truce and hostage release deal to end the Gaza war was still possible, wrapping up a Middle East tour as deadly fighting rocked the Palestinian territory.

As President Biden's administration faces mounting scrutiny, dissent within the State Department highlights concerns over America's stance on international conflicts.

The resolution -- passed with 14 votes in favor and Russia abstaining -- "welcomes" the truce and hostage release proposal announced on May 31 by President Joe Biden, and urges "parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition." The resolution says Israel has accepted the truce plan, and "calls upon Hamas to also accept it."

Gantz, a popular former military chief, joined Netanyahu's government shortly after the October 7 Hamas attack in a show of unity.

During the protest, multiple statues in Lafayette Square were vandalized with spray paint, graffiti, and painted red handprints.

The hostages were taken to the hospital for medical checks and were in good health, the military said.