39 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike on UNRWA school in central Gaza Strip

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - At least 39 displaced Palestinians were killed on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering thousands of displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp, the central Gaza Strip, according to Gaza authorities.

In a statement, the Gaza-based Government Media Office said the Israeli army struck a UN agency for Palestinian refugees-run school in the Nuseirat refugee camp also leaving dozens of people injured.

It added that the Israeli army's relentless “massacres” in Gaza is proof that it continues the “genocide” of displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Authorities at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said that the attack left at least 39 people dead and dozens of others injured. They said the death toll may rise as victims are still being brought to the hospital.

The Israeli army, for its part, admitted hitting the UNRWA school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, claiming Hamas fighters were hiding inside.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 36,600 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 83,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.