Nearly 74,000 Palestinians displaced in Gaza amid conflict: UN

By Anadolu staff

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Thousands of Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in the Gaza Strip amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees on Monday.

“Nearly 74,000 displaced people are now in 64 UNRWA shelters,” the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said in a statement.

The UN agency said a school sheltering more than 225 Palestinians was damaged on Sunday in an Israeli strike. No casualties were reported.

“Civilians must be protected at all times, including during fighting,” UNRWA said. “Schools and other civilian infrastructure, including those sheltering displaced families, must never come under attack.”

The situation escalated across the Gaza Strip on Saturday following a multi-front Hamas attack on Israeli towns near the Palestinian territory. Hamas said the attack was in response to Israeli violations in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence.

Israel retaliated with a series of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. More than 1,100 people were killed in the conflict, including 700 Israelis and over 430 Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to use all of Israel’s strength to destroy Hamas’ capabilities and “take revenge for this black day.”