Death toll from Israeli bombing of school in southern Gaza rises to nearly 30

Gaza authorities accuse the Israeli army of “committing a terrible massacre” against displaced people sheltered in the centre

10 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The death toll from Tuesday’s Israeli army bombing of a school in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis has risen to nearly 30 dead and more than 50 wounded, prompting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to announce the opening of an investigation into the attack.

The press office of the Gaza authorities, controlled by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), has accused Israel of “committing a terrible massacre against displaced people who were in a school in the Abasan area” and has stressed that “the majority” of the 29 dead are women and children.

“The massacre is a continuation of the genocide that the occupation army has unleashed against the Palestinian people for the tenth month,” he said in a statement on his Telegram account, before putting the number of “martyrs” due to Israeli attacks in the last few hours at 60.

He also stressed that “these massacres are taking place in the face of the collapse of the health system due to the actions of the occupation, the destruction and burning of hospitals, which have been put out of service, and the enormous pressure on medical staff and what remains of the operating rooms.”

The Gazan authorities have also pointed to the “shortage of medical and sanitary supplies” and the closure of border crossings by Israel, which “impedes the travel of the wounded and sick” and “the entry of fuel.” “There are catastrophic humanitarian and sanitary conditions,” they said.

They have therefore condemned “in the strongest terms” this “horrible massacre” and have held Israel and the United States “fully responsible” for these “massacres”. “We call on the international community, the United Nations, international organisations and the countries of the free world to put pressure on the Israeli occupation and the United States to stop the genocidal war and the bloodshed in Gaza,” they concluded.

The Israeli army announced that it was investigating “reports of damage to civilians” at a school “located near the site of the attack,” while indicating that the target was an alleged member of the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) who participated in the attacks carried out on October 7 against Israeli territory.

The Israeli army launched an offensive against the Strip following the attacks on October 7, which left some 1,200 dead and nearly 240 kidnapped. The Hamas-controlled Gaza authorities have reported more than 38,200 dead, in addition to more than 560 Palestinians killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in operations by Israeli forces or in attacks carried out by settlers.