As shocking violence continued, the Israeli army launched a school in northern Gaza and killed at least 100 Palestinians, including women and children, in one of the worst attacks they made. This happened in the al-Daraj area, where Israeli bombs hit a school being used as a refugee camp during Fajr prayers.
Arab media reports claim that around 250 Palestinians were using the school as a shelter when it was bombed by the Israeli forces consisting of three missiles weighing 2,000 pounds each. Leading to a heavy loss of life and many injuries among those who had sought refuge here.
Israeli Claims and Palestinian Response
The Israeli government has claimed that this school was used by Hamas as their headquarters, alleging that it housed terrorists. However, there is wide dispute about this claim. According to Gaza officials and humanitarian organizations, civilians were deliberately targeted. Islamic Jihad has condemned a highly significant war crime – the Palestinian resistance group – against bombing schools providing civilians with refugees (an outrageous breach of international law).
International Response and Ceasefire Negotiations
Qatar, Egypt, and The USA offered an initiative for a negotiated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas due to escalating violence. The proposed discussions are planned for August 15th. With an Israeli delegation set to join them, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to participate in these negotiations.
In their joint press release, Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S. stressed the need for immediate commencement of negotiations. Which could be held either in Doha or Cairo. They also underlined the urgency of dealing with the prevailing conflict while outlining the basis for peace-building efforts.
However, the reported lack of response means uncertainty regarding a possible resolution to the conflict on the part of the Hamas movement for Palestinian Resistance.
Casualties and Impact
Gaza’s civilian population continues to suffer severely from the ongoing conflict. These resulted in about 39700 Palestinians killed since October last year during various Israeli bombings, along with over 91700 being injured. This causes a humanitarian crisis that is getting worse in Gaza, where families are displaced and need help urgently.
This latest school attack has raised international concern about the state of affairs, including humanitarian ones. In Gaza and necessitated a long-term peace to end this conflict. These proposed ceasefire talks are essential for dealing with violence and leading towards peaceful resolution.
