Borrell whipped recent Israeli attack as a massacre
Israel attacks a building in the Gaza Strip - reportedly a Hamas command center. The Civil Defense Authority in the Gaza Strip, however, claims it was a school housing displaced people. Nearly 100 people are said to have been killed. The EU and UN react sharply.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has described the latest Israeli attack on a building in the Gaza Strip with presumed numerous deaths as a massacre. He is "shocked by the images of a school serving as a shelter in the city of Gaza, where dozens of Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack," he said at X. "In recent weeks, at least ten schools have been targeted. There is no justification for these massacres," Borrell explained. The targeted building served as a shelter for displaced people and, according to Israeli claims, also as a Hamas command center and hideout.
The Civil Defense Authority in the Gaza Strip reported in the morning that a Quran school in the Al-Sahaba neighborhood of the city of Gaza was hit by rocket fire. According to their reports, 93 people were killed and dozens more injured. The attack occurred during morning prayers. Among the dead were eleven children and six women. An independent verification is still pending.
The Israeli army, on the other hand, stated that it had hit "Hamas terrorists operating in a Hamas command center in the Al-Tabaeen school." Numerous precautions were taken to reduce risks to civilians.
Israel has accused Hamas of using schools, hospitals, and other civilian facilities for military purposes and using civilians as human shields since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip. Hamas denies this.
UNRWA: "Day of Horror"
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also described the attack as "shocking" and called for an immediate ceasefire. "Hamas must stop putting civilians at risk. Israel must adhere to international humanitarian law," he said at X. "We need an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians, free all hostages, and lift restrictions on aid deliveries."
The Commissioner-General of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, described it as another "day of horror" at X. Schools and other civilian facilities should never be a target for the conflicting parties and should not be used for military purposes. "The conflicting parties must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times," said Lazzarini. The intolerable should not become the new norm.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre with more than 1200 deaths that Hamas and other groups' terrorists carried out in Israel last October. According to the health authority controlled by Hamas, more than 39,600 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began. The number does not distinguish between civilians and fighters and cannot be independently verified.
The European Union, endeavoring to maintain peace and uphold humanitarian laws, strongly condemns the Israeli attack on the alleged school housing displaced people in the Gaza Strip. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated, "There is no justification for these massacres in schools."
In light of the violation of international humanitarian law by Israel, the United Nations, along with the European Union, is urging for an immediate ceasefire and adherence to protecting civilian infrastructure, such as schools, from being targeted or used for military purposes. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy echoed this call for a ceasefire, emphasizing, "Hamas must stop putting civilians at risk, while Israel must adhere to international humanitarian law."
