"Israeli Strike on Gaza UN School Kills 35"

Boston Brand Media brings you the latest - An Israeli airstrike reportedly targeted a United Nations school in Gaza, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 35 lives. This devastating incident has sparked international concern and condemnation, highlighting the ongoing conflict in the region and the dire humanitarian situation faced by civilians. The strike underscores the urgent need for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and find a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

At least 35 people are said to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a UN school in central Gaza that was packed with displaced Palestinians. The BBC was informed by journalists from the Nuseirat refugee camp that a warplane fired two missiles at classrooms on the top floor of the school. Numerous bodies and the destruction were shown in videos.

The military in Israel claimed that it had "conducted a precise strike on a Hamas compound" inside the school and had killed many of the 20-30 fighters it believed were there. The claim was refuted by Gaza's Government Media Office, which is run by Hamas and accused Israel of carrying out a "horrific massacre."

Israel has been urged by the United States to disclose all information about the strike to the public "fully transparently."The incident was described as "horrific" by the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), which runs the school. He also said that the claim that armed groups might have been inside a shelter was "shocking" but could not be verified.

Since the Israeli military started a new ground operation against Hamas in central Gaza this week, people who were dead or injured were rushed to the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah. The hospital has been overwhelmed.

Boston Brand Media also found that the BBC is working to confirm the strike reports from the Nuseirat camp.According to local journalists and residents, it took place in the early hours of Thursday at the al-Sardi school, which is located in the south-eastern portion of the camp, which is densely populated and has existed for decades and provides services for Unrwa.

According to Unrwa, the school complex was home to 6,000 displaced individuals at the time. The 1.7 million people who have fled their homes during the war, which has lasted almost eight months, have used numerous UN facilities and schools as shelters.Social media videos showed bodies covered in white shrouds and blankets and the destruction of several classrooms in one of the school's buildings.

I was asleep at the time of the incident. Udai Abu Elias, a resident of the school, told BBC Arabic's Gaza Today program that "we heard a loud explosion, shattered glass fell on us, and debris from the building fell on us."

I couldn't see anything because of the smoke in the air. I had high hopes that I would survive. I overheard a person yelling for the survivors to emerge from the rubble. As I stumbled over the martyrs' bodies, I struggled to see. He continued: The situation is extremely challenging, particularly for children and the elderly. Anyone can be a target. The martyrs' blood has not yet dried; It leaves stains on the bedding, walls, and stairs."

Another man, Jabr, stated that he "woke up to the sight of bodies and [human] remains everywhere," and a third individual who requested anonymity stated that "elderly people, young individuals, and children" were among the casualties.

At first, locals claimed that the attack resulted in the deaths of more than twenty people. A freelance BBC journalist was later informed by an al-Aqsa hospital official that forty bodies had been received from the school. The Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas, reported 74 injuries and 40 deaths, including 14 children and nine women. Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Government Media Office, which is run by Hamas, reported the same number of deaths.

Philippe Lazzarini, Unwa's commissioner general, said in a statement on X, which was previously Twitter, that at least 35 people were killed and many more were injured. "The figures are coming from our own Unrwa colleagues on the ground," Juliette Touma, the agency's director of communications, told the BBC. The BBC has been looking at videos and hasn't yet found any conclusive evidence that civilians were hurt at the strike site. However, there is video that shows children being injured at the al-Aqsa hospital.

Matt Miller, a spokesperson for the US State Department, urged Israel to disclose the strike. "The Israeli government has stated that they will provide additional information regarding this strike, including the names of those who perished in it. He stated, "We expect them to be completely transparent in releasing that information to the public."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement stating that jets had carried out a "precise strike on a Hamas compound embedded inside" the school. The IDF claimed that classrooms on two of the building's upper floors were the "locations of the terrorists" in an annotated aerial photograph.

The IDF claimed that the building had been used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members who were involved in the attack on southern Israel on October 7 that resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.

It went on to say that "a number of steps were taken before the strike, including conducting aerial surveillance and additional intelligence information, to reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians during the strike."

Later, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told reporters that between 20 and 30 fighters had been planning and carrying out attacks at the school, and that the strike had killed many of them. "I would be very, very cautious about accepting anything that Hamas puts out," he added. "I'm not aware of any civilian casualties."

In addition, he claimed that the Israeli Defense Forces had twice called off the attack to prevent civilian casualties and that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad had purposefully made use of UN facilities as operational bases. Mr. Thawabta stated, "The IDF's claims were not true." The occupation justifies the brutal crime it committed against dozens of displaced people by lying to the public through false, fabricated stories.

According to Mr. Lazzarini, the school was struck "without prior warning" to either his agency or the individuals residing there. It is shocking to hear that armed groups might have been inside the shelter. However, we are unable to verify these assertions," he continued.

A flagrant violation of international humanitarian law is the attack, targeting, or use of UN buildings for military purposes. All UN personnel, facilities, and operations must be safeguarded at all times.

Mr. Lazzarini lamented that, despite having their coordinates shared with parties to the conflict, more than 180 Unrwa buildings had been damaged since the beginning of the war, resulting in the deaths of more than 450 displaced individuals.

According to the health ministry of the territory, at least 36,650 people have died in Gaza since Israel launched a military campaign in response to the attack on October 7. These figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Additionally, medical professionals confirmed to AFP and the Palestinian news agency Wafa that six people were killed in a house in Nuseirat camp on Thursday in a second predawn strike.

In the meantime, a day after declaring that it had taken "operational control" in the Bureij refugee camp, which is located just west of Nuseirat, troops said they had discovered underground tunnel shafts and weapons in the eastern parts of Deir al-Balah.

On Wednesday, residents of the areas reported intense bombardment, and Médecins Sans Frontières reported that at least 70 bodies, primarily children and women, had been brought to al-Aqsa Hospital in the previous 24 hours. In addition, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Thursday that an Israeli soldier had been killed in battle in southern Gaza and that troops and aircraft had killed three suspects who had approached the fence that separates Israel and Gaza in the Rafah region.

A tented camp for displaced people near a Unrwa logistics base in the southern city of Rafah was the scene of a fire that reportedly killed dozens of Palestinians last month, killing two senior Hamas officials, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

The IDF described the deaths as "tragic" and said that it was looking into the possibility that Hamas-stored ammunition might have caused a second explosion. Mediators redoubled their efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas after that incident.

Joe Biden, the president of the United States, talked about what he said was an Israeli proposal that had been made to Hamas.

The first phase of the plan would last six weeks and include a temporary truce in which Palestinians from Israeli jails would be exchanged for the release of some of the hostages still held in Gaza. A permanent cease-fire would be part of the second phase. The leaders of Israel and Hamas were urged to "make whatever final compromises are necessary to close this deal and bring relief to the families of our hostages" in a joint statement released on Thursday by the United States, the United Kingdom, and 16 additional nations whose citizens were among the hostages.

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, stated on Wednesday that the organization would respond "seriously and positively" to a proposal that called for an end to the war and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has made it clear that he will not agree to a long-term ceasefire until Hamas is defeated and the hostages are released. He said on Wednesday that the nation was "striving for total victory."

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Source: BBC‍