By Ibrahim Dahman, Abeer Salman and Sana Noor Haq, CNN (CNN) — An Israeli airstrike killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens more sheltering at a school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Thursday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said. The attack on the Rafidah school injured at least 54 Palestinians, according to the Red Crescent. Hospital officials have confirmed the death toll. The Israeli military said it struck “terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center” at the school compound, saying “numerous steps” were taken to protect civilians. CNN cannot independently verify the claim. Thursday’s strike is the latest to hit a school in Gaza. Last month, an Israeli strike on a school compound near Gaza city, killed at least 22 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian officials. Israel said it targeted Hamas fighters sheltering there. In August, local officials said that more than 90 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a school and mosque in the Al-Tabi’in compound in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in the eastern part of Gaza City, where displaced people were sheltering. Israel confirmed it carried out the strike, saying it had targeted a Hamas command post and killed several fighters. Israel has renewed its military operation in some parts of Gaza, saying it is targeting attempts by Hamas to regroup, and has ordered mass evacuations of multiple neighborhoods across the enclave. The latest strike comes as Gaza’s health ministry reported more than 42,000 people killed in the besieged territory since the war began a year ago following the Hamas attacks of October 7, and as Israel presses on with a ground incursion into Lebanon while weighing an attack on Iran. The-CNN-Wire & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

(CNN) — Officials in Florida will assess the damage in their cities today as Hurricane Milton sweeps across the state. Milton made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Florida, as a dangerous Category 3 storm before weakening to a Category 1, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has dumped up to 18 inches of rain in the Tampa Bay Area and brought flash flooding to St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Venice and other communities. Milton has dropped about 16 inches of rain on St. Petersburg, representing a more than a 1-in-1000 year rainfall for the area. Meanwhile, deaths were reported in St. Lucie County, Florida, after a tornado tore through a mobile home retirement community, the county sheriff told CNN. Meanwhile, more than three million homes and businesses across Florida are without power today, according to PowerOutage.us. Outages will only keep ticking upward as Milton’s far-reaching winds push through central Florida and the state’s east coast. Cities like Lakeland, Kissimmee, Orlando and Cape Canaveral are all in the forecasted path. Nationwide, hospitals are rationing IV fluids and postponing some surgeries as the national supply chain reels from severe disruptions triggered by back-to-back hurricanes. The federal government is now considering alternative manufacturing sites and temporary imports to address the shortage of critical fluids.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), Wednesday said it had successfully rescued 11 Venezuelan women, who were allegedly victims of human trafficking. It said that the operation on Tuesday also led to the arrest of three suspects, two males and one female, believed to be connected to a human trafficking ring operating in Cunupia, a town in Central Trinidad. The police said that after gathering intelligence on a suspected human trafficking operation and conducting extensive surveillance, a team of officers proceeded to a residence in Cunupia and that during the operation, the officers found 11 persons who were allegedly being held against their will. “The Central Divisional Task Force (Area North) and the Counter Trafficking Unit provided crucial assistance throughout the operation. Several items of evidential value were also seized at the scene to aid ongoing investigations,” the TTPS said, adding that the three suspects arrested are now in custody as further investigations continue. The Immigration Department was also contacted to assist with the victims, who are currently receiving support services. “The TTPS remains resolute in its fight against the scourge of human trafficking and is committed to bringing all perpetrators to justice, while ensuring the safety and well-being of victims. “If you see something say something; report any suspicious activities related to human trafficking or exploitation to the TTPS or the Counter Trafficking Unit. Your information is crucial and can help save innocent lives and dismantle these criminal networks,” the TTPS added.