At least 100 people were killed and dozens more injured after Israel bombed a school in Gaza City on Saturday.
Shortly after the airstrike, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that the school had became a target because it had been used as a headquarters by Hamas, where the group “planned and promoted terrorist operations against the IDF forces and the citizens of the State of Israel.”
However, the media later reported that the Israeli army attacked the school during the morning prayers of displaced Gazans who were sheltering there.
Condemnations for Israel’s action
have been pouring in since the strike.
RT reports: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Israeli military should refrain from attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza. She added that the Russian authorities are deeply shaken by the latest airstrike conducted by West Jerusalem
Zakharova expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the attack, stressing that tragedies like this undermine international efforts to deescalate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to achieve a ceasefire along with a prisoner exchange.
“We are calling on Israel to refrain from attacks on civilian targets. We believe there is no and can be no justification for such actions,” the spokeswoman said.
The EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell said there was “no justification for these massacres”
Horrified by images from a sheltering school in Gaza hit by an Israeli strike, w/ reportedly dozens of Palestinian victims.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 10, 2024
At least 10 schools were targeted in the last weeks. There’s no justification for these massacres
We are dismayed by the terrible overall death toll. 1/2
He aid he was “horrified by the images” from the scene. The Tabeen school in central Gaza City was reportedly used to shelter displaced people. Women and children were among the victims, local authorities said, adding that the death toll could rise since some people have yet to be pulled from the rubble.
Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia also condemned the strike, which came as mediators were pushing to resume ceasefire talks.
Egypt said that the killing of Gaza civilians showed Israel had no intention to end the conflict. Qatar’s foreign ministry described the strike as a “horrific massacre”.
According to estimates from the media, up to 6,000 people may have been sheltering at the school when it was hit by three Israeli missiles.