Israeli forces bombed another United Nations-run school in southern Gaza, killing at least 20 displaced Palestinians sheltering in the building, witnesses told Tel Aviv Tribune, as the toll from several attacks across the besieged territory, notably in Beit Hanoon, Deir el-Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp are rising.
More than 60 people have been confirmed dead following Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, according to Palestinian officials.
The Israeli war in Gaza has killed at least 45,028 Palestinians and injured 106,962 since October 7, 2023, the Gaza Health Ministry announced on Monday.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said Sunday night’s attack on the UNRWA-run school in Khan Younis happened “without any warning.”
“Civilians were hit while they were sleeping, including women and children. They were not warned by the Israeli army before the attack,” our correspondent said.
The Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz School, a three-story building, is located next to the Nasser Medical Complex. The third floor was hit, “leaving behind an enormous level of destruction,” Abou Azzoum said.
“Some bodies were torn to pieces due to the scale of the attack in question,” he added. “The school is estimated to be home to hundreds of Palestinian families and is located in a location heavily frequented by civilians. »
Images posted on social media show the chaos and frantic search for survivors after the attack. Those who were injured and killed were transported to the Nasser Medical Complex.
UNRWA facilities in Gaza have been frequently targeted since the start of the Israeli invasion.
“Day after day, the Israeli army has focused on destroying these UN-run shelters where civilians have taken refuge, due to the lack of permanent buildings and safe spaces,” Abou Azzoum said. .
“Condemn the crimes of the occupation”
New attacks have taken place in Khan Younis over the past 24 hours. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli planes bombed the village of Bani Suheila, killing four people and injuring others.
Meanwhile, in Beit Hanoon, northern Gaza, where Israeli forces stormed and besieged the Khalil Oweida school on Sunday, the death toll rose from 15 to 43, according to the office’s spokesperson. government media in Gaza.
“We condemn the various complex crimes committed by the occupying army against our people. We call on countries around the world to condemn the crimes of the occupation,” said Ismail al-Thwabta.
“We hold Israel and the United States legally responsible for the massacres of the occupation,” he added.
“We demand a rapid and definitive 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 continue to search through the rubble after Israeli forces attacked the house belonging to the Abu Hajar family.
At least five people were killed in this attack, including a child, according to Wafa. The camp was also targeted by Israeli forces on Friday, killing at least 30 people.
Among those killed in the attack in Nuseirat was Khaled Nabhan, also known as Abu Diaa, according to multiple reports verified by Tel Aviv Tribune’s Sanad unit.
A video of Nabhan cradling his deceased granddaughter went viral during the first months of the Israeli attack on Gaza. In the weeks and months following his loss, Nabhan turned to rescuers and doctors to care for injured Palestinians while trying to cope with his grief.
At least four people were also reported killed in another attack on a tent housing dozens of displaced Palestinians, also in Deir el-Balah, on Sunday evening.
On Sunday, Israeli forces also bombed the Nuseirat camp, killing Palestinian journalist Ahmed al-Louh and five Palestinian Civil Defense employees. Al-Louh worked as a cameraman for Tel Aviv Tribune alongside other media outlets. This is the third Gaza-based journalist killed in the space of 24 hours, bringing to 196 the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli forces since October 7, 2023.
In the Shujayea neighborhood of Gaza City, 10 civilians were killed in another Israeli attack, most of them from the same family.
An Israeli air attack was also reported by our colleagues at Tel Aviv Tribune Arabic in the town of Rafah, south of Gaza, but no report was immediately published on the number of victims.
