At least 30 killed in Israeli airstrike on a girls' school in central Gaza

Health officials in the Gaza Strip say that at least 30 people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a girls' school that was housing Palestinian refugees. This comes as the Israeli army announced that the targeted location was a command center of the extremist group Hamas within the school. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. The media office of this group reported on Saturday, August 6, that fifteen children and eight women were among the dead in this attack in the city of Deir al-Balah, and the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, reported that more than a hundred others were injured in this attack. The Israeli army stated in a statement that it targeted a 'Hamas control and command center inside the Khadija educational complex in central Gaza.' This statement claims that the school was being used for attacks against Israeli forces and was a hiding place for weapons, asserting that the Israeli army had warned civilians before the attack. The injured from this airstrike were transferred to Al-Aqsa Hospital, and the Associated Press reported that at least the lifeless body of a child and a corpse covered with a blanket were seen inside an ambulance. According to the same report, the classrooms of the school were destroyed, and some were searching for victims under the rubble. This news agency quoted Palestinian sources as saying that thousands of people from Gaza had taken refuge in this school, which also had a medical center. Images released by Reuters also show Palestinians returning to the school to check their belongings while the site was still burning. The destroyed walls and debris scattered in the schoolyard and damaged vehicles are visible in these images. The Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank condemned this attack, stating that hosting the Israeli Prime Minister in the U.S. Congress gave him a 'green light' to continue attacks on Gaza. The EU's foreign policy chief reacted to this attack by calling for a 'political solution' to end the 'madness' in Gaza. Josep Borrell wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'A ceasefire must be established now. International humanitarian law must be respected. Large-scale humanitarian aid must be sent. Only a political solution will end this madness.' Earlier, the Israeli army announced that it had asked Palestinians living in the southern neighborhoods of Khan Younis in southern Gaza to 'temporarily' relocate to the safe area of Al-Mawasi. The Israeli army cited military operations in the mentioned area as the reason for this warning. On Friday, the Israeli army reported heavy clashes with armed Palestinian forces in Khan Younis and the destruction of tunnels and other infrastructure of the extremist group Hamas. Nearly nine and a half months have passed since the war in Gaza began; a war that started after the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 last year. The U.S. and the EU consider this group a terrorist organization. According to reports, on Friday, the Israeli army destroyed several tunnels and other bases in search of small militia units that were targeting Israeli soldiers with mortars. It has been said that today's warning from the Israeli army for the evacuation of Khan Younis is in line with the continuation of these conflicts. On Saturday, the Israeli army stated that requests for the evacuation of Khan Younis had been communicated to the people through various media to reduce the risk to civilians. However, the United Nations and human rights organizations accuse Israel of using disproportionate force in the war, a charge that Israel denies. Previously, several civilians who had relocated to safe camps were killed in Israeli army operations. Several human rights organizations also state that there is no safe area left in Gaza, and residents of this area are forced to repeatedly flee from one area to another to save their lives. Israel, in turn, accuses the extremist group Hamas of putting civilians at risk and operating in densely populated neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals. Hamas also denies this accusation. Israeli officials estimate that about 14,000 militants affiliated with Hamas or Islamic Jihad have been killed or captured. Their number was estimated to be over 25,000 at the beginning of the war. On the other side of the conflict, according to health officials in Gaza, who report their statistics without distinguishing between militants and ordinary citizens, more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli attack on Gaza. According to Israeli statistics, approximately 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage in the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7. Two days before these conflicts, U.S. President Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris, a potential Democratic candidate for the presidential election, both urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quickly agree to a ceasefire plan in Gaza during their meeting. However, there are no clear signs of progress in negotiations to end the conflicts and free about 115 Israeli and foreign hostages still held in Gaza, and statements from Israeli and Hamas officials indicate that serious disagreements remain between the two sides.