18 November 2023 , 20:52
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Israel was accused of a war crime last night after reports it killed at least 50 Palestinians, including women and children, in attacks on two schools.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health alleged Israeli forces targeted al Fakhoura school and Tal al Zaatar school, both in the north – which it said had been operating as makeshift shelters. A video reportedly taken inside al Fakhoura showed dozens of bloodied bodies, including women and children, lying motionless alongside school desks.
The school, in Jabalia refugee camp, is run by the UN Relief and Works Agency. A strike on another building in the camp is said to have killed 32 people from one family, 19 of them children.
Injured Palestinians in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza (Getty Images)UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said of the attacks: “Shelters are a place for safety. Schools are a place for learning. Civilians cannot and should not have to bear this any longer.”
The UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini said: “These attacks cannot become commonplace, they must stop. A humanitarian ceasefire cannot wait any longer.”
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And the Egyptian foreign ministry said: “Egypt considers the bombing of al Fakhoura school, which served as a safe haven for hundreds of Palestinians, as another war crime that requires investigation and holding its perpetrators accountable.” They called the attacks “a deliberate insult to the United Nations”.
Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The scenes of carnage and death following attacks on al Fakhoura and Tal al Zaatar schools in Gaza, killing many children and women, are horrific.
Palestinians mourn the dead (Anadolu via Getty Images)“These horrible attacks should cease immediately. Children, schools and shelters are not a target.” Israel also faced criticism after ordering the evacuation of southern Gaza’s largest city, Khan Younis – hours after an air strike on a residential building there reportedly killed 26 and left 23 seriously injured.
And there was widespread horror at reports of premature babies and intensive care patients being left trapped inside Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital following reports of gun-toting Israeli forces ordering an evacuation.
Hundreds of staff and patients reportedly fled, amid disputed claims soldiers gave them just an hour to leave. Recalling “panic and chaos” on the wards, Mahmoud Abu Auf claimed: “Tanks and snipers were everywhere, inside and outside. We left at gunpoint.” Six doctors stayed behind in a defiant bid to save the sick.
Thousands of protesters joined marches around the UK yesterday calling for an immediate ceasefire. There were also sit-ins at major train stations, with at least five arrests at London Waterloo.
Hundreds also gathered outside Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s constituency office in Camden, north London, chanting slogans including, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Keir Starmer’s a wasteman”.