Gaza, June 12, 2024
Israeli fighter jets bombed a UN school in Gaza, with at least 17 people dead; all of them were non-combatants who were looking for refuge. The school in question is in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which was being used to accommodate displaced Palestinians at the time.
The Israeli military stated that a Hamas compound was being attacked. At the same time, Palestinian authorities, as well as eye-witnesses, denied this by pointing out that there were so many Palestinians taking refuge inside this school.
The attack was on Thursday, with the eye witness alleging that Israeli warplanes brought two missiles to the top floor classroom of the school. Hamas media office described the incident as a horrific massacre, in which at least 27 people were killed, adding that emergency services and ambulances were evacuating injured and killed to nearby medical facilities.
Before the operation, the IDF claimed that it had ensured that there would be minimal civilian casualties; however, the attack attracted criticism and condemnation. The incident points to a continuing catastrophe in the Gaza Strip; specifically, the death toll exceeds 36,000 people, and many more are believed to be trapped under the debris.
The attack is in an era in which Israel and Hamas are still in the process of negotiating the terms of a truce as the US sought to broker. However, there are terms on which Hamas has agreed to lay down arms in the following manner: No war and no Israel. On the same note, Israel has dismissed every demand of anything that is not cessation of conflict.
The conflict has been heavily denounced by the UN and other human rights organizations and it has been stated that there should be no fighting and there should be a cease fire. They bring the message to the international community about the situation of the civilian population and the need to stop the fighting.