Israeli forces conducted lethal strikes on southern Gaza on Tuesday, following renewed orders for Palestinians to evacuate areas near the besieged territory’s border with Israel and Egypt. Witnesses reported heavy bombing and shelling around Khan Yunis, the central city of southern Gaza, from which Israeli forces had withdrawn in early April after a devastating months-long conflict. An NBC News crew in the area captured footage of explosions that were audible from several blocks away.
A day after the evacuation notice was issued; a predawn Israeli air strike hit a school in Khan Yunis housing displaced residents. NBC News was told the strike killed 37 people, including women and children, and the bodies were later handed over to families. An Israeli military official said the missiles targeted an area that was identified as a militant activity.
The IDF later released photos allegedly showing militants in the area, but it didn’t offer evidence of them being there. A resident of the neighborhood said the strike destroyed tents and burned buildings, leaving the rooms inside them filled with ash. “The school was hit with rockets in the second and third floor where people were sheltering,” he said. “The shattered windows and the rubble were everywhere.”
A UN official told NBC News that Israel is continuing to target what it calls Hamas’ tunnel network. The official, who spoke to NBC on condition of anonymity, said Israel is targeting the tunnels with a new strategy that includes flooding them with seawater. It also plans to destroy the tunnels by digging under them, a process that takes a long time.
The United Nations’ humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, called the latest attacks an “abomination.” “Whether you call it war crimes or tragic errors for the people of Gaza, what happened last night was simply unacceptable,” he said, adding that Israel must respect the ruling by the International Court of Justice to stop its assault on Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the raids. “What we saw last night on the television is an unimaginable horror,” he said. “We will do everything in our power to hold the Israelis responsible.”
As the crisis dragged on, thousands of Gazans took to the streets in cities across Europe to protest Israel’s actions. Demonstrators marched to the Place de la République in Paris, a famed spot for anti-Israel demonstrations, and also held a vigil at the nearby Canal Saint Martin. A UN refugee agency spokesman in Gaza, Mahmoud Hagari, told CNN that the number of civilians killed in the latest Israeli attacks was unclear. He said the agency was working to verify reports of civilians killed and injured by Israeli artillery fire in eastern Khan Yunis. Amid the fighting, the agency has also been working to restore essential services in the city and help displaced civilians find safer accommodation. He added that it has reached about a quarter of the affected homes.
