50 killed as Israel hits School in Gaza
In Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Israeli air raids have killed dozens of people at al-Fakhoora School. It was a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 50 people have been killed in the bombing.
Many hundreds of people took shelter there, fleeing the non-stop Israeli attacks. It is believed that the attack occurred in the early morning hours.
A spokesperson for UNRWA told Al Jazeera that she had seen the “devastating” footage coming out of Jabalia after the bombing but had not been able to contact her colleagues directly.
“I’m still waiting for reports directly from my colleagues in Gaza, but what we’re seeing is another one of these horrific incidents, where civilians, people who sought shelter in a protected UN building, are paying the price,” she said.
Nowhere is safe in Gaza
“Many people who stayed in the north stayed in the UNRWA school because they thought that they would have a bit of safety there, but nowhere is safe in Gaza, not even our schools,” she said. “Unfortunately, people flee into our buildings with the blue flag looking for protection, but 70 of our buildings have been hit, so we ourselves are not protected.”
According to Alrifai, 66 people have been confirmed dead in UN-run shelters, excluding the strike on Saturday.
Israeli strikes have targeted the Jabalia refugee camp for weeks because it claims to house Palestinian fighters.
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Despite UN and regional condemnations, the deadly bombing campaign continues. Furthermore, schools and UN-run facilities have been repeatedly attacked by the Israeli army. Over 12,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli war on Gaza so far, many of them children.
Before the war, the Israeli army had also hit the al-Fakhoora school several times. In 2009, 2014, and earlier this month, the school was attacked.