GAZA CITY: More than 80 innocent Palestinian people, mostly children and women, were killed on Saturday as Israeli forces targeted the Al-Fakhura school, administered by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), situated in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. The school was being used as a shelter for those Palestinians displaced by the ongoing Israeli offensive.
The brutal Israeli forces targeted the UN-run Al-Fakhura school as it was being used as “a shelter” for people displaced by the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The aftermath of the bombing revealed horrifying scenes, with rooms and hallways filled with the lifeless bodies of innocent Palestinians, including children.
Gruesome images from the site portrayed the devastating impact of the Israeli airstrikes on the UN-run school. The school had been serving as a refuge for hundreds of people seeking shelter amidst the conflict. The Jabalia refugee camp, even on a normal day, is densely populated, and with the Israeli forces’ commands to evacuate to the south of the Gaza Strip, some residents sought sanctuary in the UN-administered school.
Israeli Attacks in Gaza Strip
The Israeli offensive, now in its 42nd day, has resulted in the deaths of over 12,000 innocent Palestinians, including 5,000 children. The continuous Israeli bombardment has created a dire humanitarian situation, especially in concentrated areas like Al-Shifa Hospital, where hundreds of Palestinians have sought refuge.
During a raid on Al-Shifa Hospital on Friday, Israeli forces reportedly disinterred a mass grave at the facility, taking away over 100 dead bodies. The Israeli military allegedly refused to allow the recently deceased victims to be buried inside the hospital, denying them a proper funeral.
Ismail al Thawabta, an official from Gaza’s media office, revealed this disturbing development, highlighting the challenges faced by the medical staff and patients at Al-Shifa Hospital. The hospital is surrounded by Israeli soldiers, and an evacuation warning has been issued. The deserted hospital has left only a handful of medical staff and patients in critical conditions, including newborns and kidney patients, who are at risk if not evacuated promptly.
Mohammed Abu Salmiya, speaking from Al-Shifa Hospital, expressed the urgent need for evacuation and the dwindling supplies, stating, “The hospital is completely deserted. Some of the remaining patients and victims are lying in the corridor. The center of the hospital is surrounded by Israeli soldiers. They are in total control. Even we, the very few medical staff that remain, cannot move freely.”
