Israeli airstrikes hit UN school serving as a shelter in Gaza, kills 15

A deadly airstrike by Israel on Gaza City hit a school, which was being run by the United Nations and was serving as a shelter, on Saturday (Nov 4).

The attack took place at a time when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to hear demands of the Arabs for a ceasefire in a meeting to be held in Jordan.

As reported by Reuters, Al-Fakhoura school which is located in Jabalia refugee camp was hit in an Israeli strike and led to many evacuees, who had earlier taken shelter, getting killed or wounded.

At least 15 people were killed and dozens of other were injured, said Mohammad Abu Selmeyah, the head of al-Shifa Hospital, after the incident, reported Reuters.

"People were preparing breakfast, when suddenly bombing started. I found my two girls, one of them was martyred and her head was hit, the second was wounded in her leg... the other girl as well was wounded with shrapnel," one man was heard saying in video footage, Reuters stated.

In Gaza, the Ministry of Health stated that two women were killed at the Nasser Children Hospital's door by another Israeli missile strike.

Israel strikes Palestinian ambulance

Hours before, the health officials in Gaza had stated that an ambulance was hit in an airstrike which was part of the convoy carrying injured Palestinians at al-Shifa hospital.

Israel's military had stated that the ambulance was identified and hit because it was "being used by an Hamas terrorist cell" and that many Hamas fighters were killed in the attack.

Israel was challenged by the Palestinian health ministry to provide proof of militants being present in the ambulance. Israel stated that it is mulling over the release of additional information.

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Gaza City was encircled by the ground forces of Israel on Thursday (Oct 2) after their bombing campaign was stepped up, which was aimed at wiping out Hamas, after a war broke out between Tel Aviv and the militant group in the wake of the October 7 assault.

Last month, Israel asked all civilians to leave Gaza Strip's northern part, which also included Gaza City, and move towards the south of the enclave, which is also being bombed by Israel.

Hamas has been accused by Israel of hiding militants among civilians across the enclave and concealing tunnel entrances and command centres in al-Shifa.

The living conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate further in the wake of war. Food remains scarce and the people have started drinking salty water, as medical services collapse.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)

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