Israeli forces have bombed another United Nations-run school in southern Gaza, killing at least 20 displaced Palestinians sheltering in the building, witnesses told Al Jazeera, as the death toll from several attacks across the besieged territory, including in Beit Hanoon, Deir el-Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp rises.
According to the latest report from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, published early on Monday, at least 69 people were confirmed dead as a result of Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said the attack on Sunday evening on the UNRWA-run school in Khan Younis came “without any warning”.
“Civilians were hit as they were sleeping, including women and children. They were not warned by the Israeli military before the attack,” our correspondent said.
The school, a three-storey building, is located next to the Nasser Medical Complex. The third floor was struck, “leaving behind a huge level of destruction”, Abu Azzoum said.
“Some of the bodies were shredded to pieces due to the scale of the attack in question,” he added. “The school was estimated to be sheltering hundreds of Palestinian families and is located in a spot busy with civilian activity.”
Images posted on social media showed the chaos and frantic search for survivors following the attack. Those who were injured and killed were transported to the Nasser Medical Complex.
UNRWA facilities in Gaza have been targeted frequently since the Israeli invasion began in October 2023.
“Day in and day out, the Israeli military has been focused on pummelling these UN-run shelters that civilians have been taking refuge in, due to the lack of standing buildings and safe spaces,” Abu Azzoum said.
‘Condemn the crimes of the occupation’
There were more attacks in Khan Younis in the last 24 hours. According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, Israeli aircraft bombed the village of Bani Suheila, killing four people and injuring others.
Meanwhile, in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoon, where Israeli forces stormed and besieged the Khalil Oweida School on Sunday, the death toll has risen from 15 to 43, according to the spokesperson of the Government Media Office in Gaza.
“We condemn the various complex crimes committed by the occupation army against our people. We call on the countries of the world to condemn the crimes of the occupation,” Ismail al-Thwabta said.
“We hold Israel and the United States legally responsible for the massacres of the occupation,” he added.
“We demand a quick and final end to the successive crises against our people before it is too late.”
In the Nuseirat refugee camp just north of Deir el-Balah, rescuers are still digging through the rubble after Israeli forces attacked the home belonging to the Abu Hajar family.
At least five people were killed in the attack, including a child, according to Wafa. The camp was also targeted by Israeli forces on Friday, killing at least 30 people.
At least four people were also reported killed in a separate attack on a tent sheltering dozens of displaced Palestinians, also in Deir el-Balah, on Sunday night.
On Sunday, Israeli forces also bombed the Nuseirat camp, killing Palestinian journalist Ahmed Al-Louh and five Palestinian Civil Defence workers. Al-Louh worked as a cameraman for Al Jazeera alongside other media outlets. He was the third Gaza-based journalist killed in a span of 24 hours, bringing to 196 the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli forces since October 7, 2023.
In the Shujayea neighbourhood of Gaza City, 10 civilians were killed in a separate Israeli attack, most of them from the same family.
An Israeli air attack was also reported by our colleagues from Al Jazeera Arabic in Rafah city in southern Gaza, but there was no immediate report on the number of casualties.
Source: Al Jazeera
BDST: 1333 HRS, DEC 16, 2024
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