By Mohamed Majed
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – At least seven Palestinians were killed early Wednesday in Israeli airstrikes on facilities sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, the Civil Defense Service said.
The agency said five people lost their lives when Israeli forces struck Al-Amal Orphanage, where displaced civilians have sheltered.
Two more people were killed in a strike targeting the Muscat School in Gaza City.
Witnesses said that civil defense teams were searching through the rubble for survivors.
Israel has systematically targeted civilian facilities including schools, hospitals and places of worship amid its ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip.
Under the rules of war, targeting such civilian facilities can constitute a war crime.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
More than 41,600 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 96,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.