Israel has stepped up its military offensive in Gaza amid a wave of evacuation orders, raising fears of a sharp escalation in the already devastating Israeli death toll in the war-torn territory.
The attack in Abasan was described as a “massacre against the displaced” by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, in which most of the dead were women and children, while 53 Palestinians were injured in the attack.
Hamas called the bloodbath “an extension of the war of extermination against our other peoples through the Zionist terrorist government” and suggested “to the other peoples of Arab and Muslim countries to intensify their protests against the war. “
Videos and photographs shared online showed Palestinians, including children, seeking refuge in Al-AwdahArray and fleeing in terror as bombs fell causing widespread destruction and bodies strewn everywhere.
One clip, received exclusively through Al Jazeera, showed a crowd watching children play soccer in the schoolyard moments before loud explosions were heard, prompting others to run for cover.
The target domain was densely populated, witnesses told the BBC, and up to 3,000 other people piled up at what is a bomb site.
Later, footage showed the Palestinian patients lying on the floor of Khan Younis’ Nasser Hospital, as their relatives scrambled to identify the sick and seek medical assistance for their relatives.
Josep Borrell, vice president of the European Commission, condemned the massacre, calling it a “violation of foreign law” and suggested that the culprits “be held accountable. “
“How long will innocent civilians bear the brunt of this conflict?
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), also denounced the incident, in a statement published in X.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it was “reviewing” reports about the attack on the Al-Awdah school and said the incident was “under investigation. “
Al-Awdah School is the newest establishment housing Palestinians who have been attacked by the Israeli army in Gaza in recent days.
On Saturday, the Israeli army attacked a UN-run school in Nuseirat, central Gaza, where some 7,000 Palestinians (mostly children, women and the elderly) were sheltering, killing at least 16 people.
The IDF also carried out movements in two separate areas in Gaza City last week, adding a moment in the Nuseirat camp.
Much of Khan Younis was destroyed at the beginning of the war, many citizens were forced to return to the city in May when Israel launched a military attack on Rafah, causing already displaced Palestinians to flee again.
The attack on Al-Awdah also comes as foreign mediators are expected to visit Qatar to discuss a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
CIA Director William Burns and Mossad leader David Barnea will be in Doha on Wednesday after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.
The renewed efforts come after Hamas made concessions last week. Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s political chief, said on Monday that the “catastrophic consequences” of the new fighting in Gaza could simply “bring the negotiation procedure back to square one. “
Israel’s deadly war in Gaza, which has lasted more than nine months, left at least 38,243 people dead on Tuesday, many of them calling Israeli atrocities “genocide. “