The Israeli army says it has again attacked a school complex of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to take action against a Hamas cell.
Members of the terrorist organization had used a container on the school grounds of the Al-Shati refugee camp in the northern part of the coastal strip as a meeting place for their activities, the army announced on Friday. They had planned attacks there too.
Terrorists were killed in the airstrike, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. It was not initially said exactly how many people died.
The information provided by the military could initially only be partially verified. Eyewitnesses confirmed to dpa an Israeli attack on the container. There had been several casualties. Initially there were no reports of civilian casualties.
“Hamas is systematically, deliberately and strategically deploying its infrastructure and operating from civilian areas in complete violation of international law and while endangering the lives of Gazan civilians,” the IDF wrote on the social media platform X.
On Thursday, the IDF attacked a school building in the Gaza Strip, where it said 20 to 30 members of terrorist groups were present. At least 30 people, including women and children, were killed, according to Palestinian authorities. Hamas spoke of 40 deaths.
Since the war began in October, many internally displaced persons have sought refuge in UN schools.
The Israeli army has been heavily criticized internationally for its actions in the Gaza war. Attacks on civilian facilities are particularly controversial.
Meanwhile, there have been no updates on whether Hamas has accepted a recent ceasefire and hostage agreement proposal.
Qatar, which is mediating talks to strike a deal between Israel and Hamas, said late Thursday that the Palestinian Islamist group has yet to respond to a recent proposal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
In a small positive sign, the US military said on Friday it had repaired the temporary pier on the Gaza Strip coast, which was damaged by rough seas in late May.
The structure will enable the continued delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to Gaza residents, the Centcom regional command announced.
The Pentagon had earlier this week raised the prospect that the shore-anchored pier would be repaired this week and that aid deliveries could then resume.
Just a few days after the completion of the temporary harbour, the pier was severely damaged by rough seas. Due to strong waves, four US military ships anchored in the area broke free from their moorings.
There were also previous problems with the distribution of relief supplies. The Pentagon said at the time that some trucks had been “intercepted.”
Under the provisional arrangement, cargo ships will initially deliver relief supplies from Cyprus to a floating platform several kilometers off the coast of the Gaza Strip.
The goods are then loaded onto smaller ships, which can sail closer to the coast. These then moor at the temporary pier on the coast. There, the supplies are received by aid organizations and then distributed by truck in the Gaza Strip.
