Schools horror
ISRAEL was accused of a war crime last night after reports it killed at least 50 Palestinians, including women and children, in attacks on two schools.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health alleged Israeli forces targeted al Fakhoura school and Tal al Zaatar school, both in the north – which it said had been operating as makeshift shelters.
A video reportedly taken inside al Fakhoura showed dozens of bloodied bodies, including women and children, lying motionless alongside school desks.
The school, in Jabalia refugee camp, is run by the UN Relief and Works Agency. A strike on another building in the camp is said to have killed 32 people from one family, 19 of them children.
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said of the attacks: “Shelters are a place for safety. Schools are a place for learning. Civilians cannot and should not have to bear this any longer.”
The UNRWA’S Philippe Lazzarini added: “These attacks cannot become commonplace, they must stop. A humanitarian ceasefire cannot wait any longer.”
And the Egyptian foreign ministry said: “Egypt considers the bombing of al Fakhoura school, which served as a safe haven for hundreds of Palestinians, as another war crime that requires investigation and holding its perpetrators accountable.” They called the attacks “a deliberate insult to the United Nations”. Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The scenes of carnage and death following attacks on al Fakhoura and Tal al Zaatar schools in Gaza, killing many children and women, are horrific.
“These horrible attacks should cease immediately. Children, schools and shelters are not a target.”
Israel also faced criticism after ordering the evacuation of southern Gaza’s largest city, Khan Younis – hours after an airstrike on a residential building there reportedly killed 26 and left 23 seriously injured.