Israel has targeted 13 shelter centers housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza in August: Civil Defense

By Anadolu staff

Israel has conducted airstrikes on 13 shelter centers in Gaza, where displaced Palestinians have been seeking refuge, since the beginning of August, the Civil Defense spokesman in the besieged Palestinian enclave said on Saturday.

The latest attack came on early Saturday as Israeli military bombed the Al-Taba'een school in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, killing at least 100 Palestinians.

In a news conference, Mahmoud Basal, the Civil Defense spokesman in Gaza, said the Israeli attack on the Al-Taba’een school hit two floors – A floor housing women and another floor that served as a prayer room for displaced civilians.

The latest strike has resulted in numerous casualties, with many people still unaccounted for, he added.

“We demand the world to intervene immediately to stop the massacres against defenseless civilians in shelters,” Basal said.

Earlier, the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip said: “The Israeli army directly targeted displaced civilians while performing fajr (dawn) prayers, (which) led to a rapid rise in the number of casualties.”

Despite appeals on Thursday from mediators, including Egypt, the US, and Qatar, to stop hostilities, reach a cease-fire, and a hostage exchange agreement, Israel persists with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 39,700 people since last October following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi