Israel bombs another UN-run school in Gaza

Israel attacks UN school in Gaza without warning and kills 20 in yet another chapter in a war that has already claimed 45,000 Palestinian lives

Israeli forces bombed another United Nations-run school in southern Gaza, killing at least 20 displaced Palestinians who were sheltering in the building, witnesses told Al Jazeera, while the death toll from several attacks in the besieged territory, including Beit Hanoon, Deir el -Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp, increases.

More than 60 people have been confirmed dead as a result of Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, according to Palestinian officials.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 45,028 Palestinians and injured 106,962 since October 7, 2023, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported on Monday (16).

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said the Sunday night attack on the UNRWA-run school in Khan Younis occurred “without any warning”.

“Civilians were hit while they slept, including women and children. They were not warned by the Israeli military 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 a huge level of destruction,” Abu Azzoum said.

“Some of the bodies were cut into pieces due to the scale of the attack in question,” he added. “The school is estimated to be housing hundreds of Palestinian families and is located in a busy location with civil activity.”

Images posted on social media showed 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 frequent targets since the start of the Israeli invasion.

“Day after day, the Israeli army has focused on attacking these UN-run shelters in which civilians have taken refuge, due to a lack of buildings and safe spaces,” said Abu Azzoum.

“Condemn the crimes of the occupation”

There have been more attacks in Khan Younis in the last 24 hours. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli aircraft bombed the village of Bani Suheila, killing four people and injuring others.

Meanwhile, in Beit Hanoon in 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 spokesman for the Government Press Office in Gaza. .

“We condemn the various complex crimes committed by the occupying army against our people. We call on the countries of the world to condemn the crimes of the occupation,” said Ismail al-Thwabta.

“We hold Israel and the United States legally responsible for the occupation massacres,” he added.

“We demand a quick and definitive end to the successive crises against our people before it is too late.”

In the Nuseirat refugee camp, north of Deir el-Balah, rescuers are still digging through the rubble after Israeli forces attacked the house 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.

Among those killed in the attack in Nuseirat was Khaled Nabhan, also known as Abu Diaa, according to multiple reports, which were verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad Unit.

A video of Nabhan cradling his deceased granddaughter went viral in the early months of Israel’s attack on Gaza. In the weeks and months after his loss, Nabhan turned to helping rescuers and doctors care for injured Palestinians as he tried to cope with his grief.

At least four people were also killed in a separate attack on a tent housing dozens of displaced Palestinians, also in Deir el-Balah, on Sunday night.

On Sunday, Israeli forces also shelled the Nuseirat camp, killing Palestinian journalist Ahmed al-Louh and five Palestinian Civil Defense workers. Al-Louh worked as a cameraman for Al Jazeera alongside other media outlets. He was the third Gaza-based journalist killed in a 24-hour period, 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 a separate Israeli attack, most of them from the same family.

An Israeli airstrike was also reported by our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, but there was no immediate report on the number of casualties.

With information from Al Jazeera and news agencies