Israel hits four Gaza schools in four days
GAZA STRIP
In the past four days, Israel has struck four schools in Gaza where hundreds of civilians sought refuge, resulting in the deaths of over 50 Palestinians, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has said.
The latest deadly strike hit a school turned shelter in southern Gaza on July 9 as Israeli forces in the war-ravaged territory's main city pushed on with a major offensive that has again displaced Palestinians.
A hospital source in Khan Younis in southern Gaza said at least 29 people were killed when the school was hit in nearby Abasan.
The Israeli military said its air force had carried out a strike in the area targeting a "terrorist" and would review the incident.
Three previous Israeli strikes since July 6 on schools across Gaza used by displaced Palestinians have killed a total of at least 20 people, according to officials and rescuers.
Condemning the attack, UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said on July 10 that Israel has targeted two-thirds of UNRWA schools since the war began last October.
Lazzarini emphasized that schools in Gaza have ceased to be sanctuaries of education and beacons of hope for children, instead transforming into "overcrowded shelters." He remarked that Gaza is unequivocally unsuitable for children.
"The blatant disregard for international humanitarian law cannot become the new norm," he asserted, reiterating his call for a ceasefire.
Türkiye also condemned the Israeli attack on the school, saying that the mass graves discovered in largely destroyed Khan Younis and the targeting of four schools in as many days are “concrete evidence” that Israel seeks to destroy the Palestinian people.
Germany said Wednesday that a deadly Israeli strike on a school in southern Gaza being used as a shelter was "unacceptable" and called for a rapid investigation into the incident.
Israeli army urges all Gaza City residents to leave
The Israeli army, meanwhile, dropped thousands of leaflets on Gaza City urging all residents to leave amid an intensified military offensive on the Palestinian territory's main city.
The leaflets, addressed to "everyone in Gaza City,” set out routes out of the city to designated safe areas further south and warned the urban area would "remain a dangerous combat zone" as the army hits Hamas targets.
Israel issued a first formal evacuation order for part of the city on June 27, and two more in the following days.
In the leaflet drop, the army said residents would be able to take two safe roads "quickly and without inspection from Gaza City to shelters in Deir Al-Balah and Al-Zawiya."
Tens of thousands more residents have already fled Gaza City since troops launched the latest offensive in the city's eastern Shujaiya district and ground battles have since raged.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed that 60 percent of Hamas fighters have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.
Addressing the Knesset, he said the army eliminated most of the group’s battalions.
He also said 3,000 ultra-Orthodox soldiers will be drafted into the army by next year in a gradual process.