Israeli strike kills 20 people in Gaza school
|
At least 20 people have been killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza, as Israel steps up its military campaign in the enclave.
Local local health authorities told Reuters about the attack early on Monday, with medics saying there are dozens of casualties in the strike on the school, at Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza City, including women and children.
Some of the bodies were badly burned according to images circulating on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify.
There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military however a leading Israeli commander said on Sunday the military was stepping up its activities in the embattled Gaza Strip, as dozens of Palestinians were reportedly killed in fresh attacks.
“We are intensifying our activity in accordance with the established plan,” chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir said.
“Hamas is under immense pressure. It has lost most of its assets and its command and control,” Zamir said during a visit to troops in the city of Khan Younis in the south of the coastal territory.
“We will deploy every tool at our disposal to bring the hostages home, dismantle Hamas, and dismantle its rule,” he asserted.
“This is not an endless war. We aim to end it by achieving its objectives,” he added.
Israeli media previously reported the military had moved all its regular infantry and tank brigades into the Gaza Strip. The armed forces are currently deployed in various areas of the embattled coastal region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip.
Israel’s actions in the coastal area, home to around two million Palestinians, have been met with massive international criticism.
There is also growing criticism among the Israeli population, with opinion polls indicating that many are in favour of ending the war in Gaza.
The armed forces launched a new major offensive in Gaza about a week ago. Dozens of deaths have since been reported daily in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said at least 38 people were killed in the past day.
A further 204 people were injured during the past 24 hours, the authority said on Sunday.
The figures don’t include victims registered in hospitals in northern Gaza, as access to the area is currently too difficult.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid deliveries have resumed after a nearly three-month halt. According to COGAT, the Israeli authority for Palestinian affairs, a total of 107 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday.
The shipments included flour for bakeries and food, COGAT said in a statement.
“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will continue to facilitate humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip while making every effort to ensure that the aid does not reach the hands of the Hamas terrorist organisation,” it added.
Israel had blocked aid deliveries since early March, accusing Hamas of reselling the aid supplies to finance its fighters and weapons.
The United Nations and aid organisations are warning of famine in the coastal strip. Aid workers have said the quantities that have arrived in Gaza are not sufficient to alleviate the population’s suffering.
The Israeli campaign, triggered after Hamas Islamist militants attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing about 1200 people, has devastated Gaza and pushed nearly all of its two million residents from their homes.
The offensive has killed more than 53,000 people, many of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
with dpa
Reuters
