Türkiye says Israel committed ‘crime against humanity’ by killing over 100 civilians sheltering in Gaza school

By Gozde Bayar

Israel has committed a “new crime against humanity” by killing over 100 civilians who had taken refuge in a school in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

“This attack demonstrated once again that the Netanyahu government intends to sabotage the negotiations for a permanent ceasefire,” a ministry statement said.

“International actors who do not take steps to stop Israel are complicit in Israel's crimes,” it added.

Earlier, the Israeli army targeted with missiles the Al-Taba'een School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood housing displaced people, killing at least 100 Palestinians, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza.

“The Israeli strikes targeted the displaced people while performing Fajr (dawn) prayers, (which) led to a rapid rise in the number of casualties,” the media office said.

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 39,800 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.