Israel bombs UN school in Gaza again, killing dozens of Palestinians | News on the Israel-Palestine conflict

Israeli forces attack the al-Razi school in Nuseirat and the “security zone” in al-Mawasi, killing at least 42 Palestinians.

The Israeli military has bombed another United Nations-run school and an Israeli-established “safe zone” in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 42 Palestinians and wounding dozens more, Palestinian officials said.

Israeli strikes on Tuesday hit the UN al-Razi school in the central Nuseirat refugee camp and a main street lined with market stalls in the southern al-Mawasi area, where thousands of displaced Palestinians had sought shelter.

At least 25 people were killed in al-Razi and 17 in al-Mawasi, the Gaza government media office said. More than 70 people were injured in the attacks.

In a third Israeli attack on Beit Lahiya in the north of the Gaza Strip, five more Palestinians were killed, officials said.

The bombing of al-Razi is the sixth Israeli attack on schools affiliated with the UN Security Council and its specialized agencies within the last ten days.

Video footage verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad shows a young man apparently carrying remnants of the rockets that targeted the school.

“I cannot describe the horror of the bombing,” he said.

Among those killed was local journalist Mohammad Meshmesh. His death brought the number of journalists killed in the conflict to 160, the Gaza government’s media office said.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, describing chaotic scenes at Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital on Tuesday after those injured in the attack on the school were admitted.

“The Israeli attack on al-Razi Middle School in the heart of the camp – such a busy area – occurred during rush hour, when the streets around the overcrowded school were packed with people,” Mahmoud said.

‘Nowhere is safe’

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said Israeli forces had hit nearly 70 percent of schools in the Gaza Strip since the war began last October.

“Over 95% of these schools were used as emergency shelters during the attacks. 539 people seeking shelter in UNRWA facilities were killed,” UNRWA said on X. “Nowhere is safe. The blatant disregard for UN buildings and humanitarian law must stop.”

In a statement, Hamas condemned Israel’s “deliberate bombings against displaced people in UNRWA’s al-Razi school in Nuseirat camp and in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis city, which has been declared a safe zone.”

“This is a brutal and shameful act that leaves a scar on the soul of humanity,” the group said, reiterating that the United States, a staunch ally of Israel, was complicit in the “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

Tuesday’s airstrikes came despite Israel’s military withdrawing or reducing its ground offensives in the north and south. They followed one of the deadliest weeks in Gaza since the war began. At least 470 people were killed between July 9 and 15.

The fatalities include at least 90 people killed in an Israeli attack on al-Mawasi on Saturday. Israel said it had targeted two senior commanders of Hamas’ military wing, including Mohammed Deif, but could not confirm whether he was actually killed in the attack.

Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked al-Mawasi, despite the coastal area being declared a “security zone” and Palestinians fleeing ground attacks being ordered to seek refuge there.

The relentless bombardments also come as Israel and Hamas continue to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal. Hamas has said talks to end the nine-month war will continue even after Israel attacked Deif.

Israel has announced that it will continue to pursue Hamas fighters hiding among civilians after offensives destroyed underground tunnel systems.

At least 38,713 people have been killed and 89,166 injured in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 is estimated at 1,139, and dozens of people are still being held captive in Gaza.