Netanyahu wants to undermine cease-fire negotiations, Foreign Ministry says
Foreign Ministry headquarters in Ankara, Türkiye in this undated file photo. (AA File Photo)
At least 25 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday at Al-Awda School, which was housing displaced people in the southern Gaza Strip, according to medics.
The Israeli army targeted the school located in the town of Abasan, east of Khan Younis. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that the number of injuries has exceeded 53, with some in serious and critical condition.
Initial reports and broader attacks
Earlier, the ministry initially stated that the Israeli army “committed a heinous massacre against displaced citizens by targeting the gate of a school sheltering displaced people in Abasan, resulting in the death of 19 Palestinians.”
The Palestine Red Crescent Society also reported casualties from an Israeli bombardment of the Abu Hameed roundabout in central Khan Younis.
Türkiye condemns deadly Israeli strike
Türkiye condemned the Israeli attack on the school, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
The statement highlighted that the mass graves discovered in largely destroyed Khan Younis and the targeting of four schools in as many days are “concrete evidence” that Israel seeks to destroy the Palestinian people.
It further stated that these attacks show that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to undermine cease-fire negotiations.
The ministry asserted that Israeli officials will be held accountable for actions that disregard all values of humanity and international law.
Ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis
Several victims were killed and dozens injured in the Israeli strike on Tuesday, according to medics. Last week, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders for residents of several areas in eastern Khan Younis.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October of last year, the Israeli army has hit several centers for displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, killing dozens.
International condemnation and legal actions
Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an October 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.
More than 38,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 88,000 others injured, according to local health authorities. Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Accusations of genocide
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
