At least 29 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced people outside a school in southern Gaza, said hospital officials. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said that the strike had hit next to the gate of al-Awda school in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of the city of Khan Younis.
In a statement, the ministry said that Israel targeted "the gate of a school housing displaced people in the town of Abasan, east of the city of Khan Younis," and called it "a heinous massacre against displaced citizens," reported CNN.
The Israeli military said it has used "precise munition" to target a "terrorist from Hamas' military wing" who, it said, had taken part in the October 7 attack on Israel, reported BBC.
The Israel Defence Forces said it was "looking into the reports that civilians were harmed" "adjacent" to al-Awda school, where displaced people have taken shelter from the eastern villages of Khan Younis.
The development comes a week after the IDF ordered civilians to evacuate Abasan al-Kabira and other areas of eastern Khan Younis, forcing tens of thousands to flee.
Gaza's Government Media Office condemned the attack, calling it a "massacre against civilians" by Israel. In its statement, the government also called on the international communities, the United Nations, and international NGOs to pressure Israel and the US into stopping the war in Gaza, added the CNN report.
Hamas also condemned the statement saying that the strike on a school represents “a continuation of the genocidal war and horrific massacres against our defenseless people.”
It called for people around the world to "immediately take to the streets and squares in massive demonstrations and rallies” in support of people in Gaza. The Palestinian outfit also called for people in the West Bank to support Gaza and clash with Israeli forces.