War on Gaza: Israeli attack on Nuseirat school kills 23 Palestinians

An Israeli attack on a UN-run school housing displaced families in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed 23 people and injured 73 others on Tuesday.

The attack left the school partially destroyed. The schoolyard was covered with rubble and the classrooms were used as shelters by displaced Palestinians.

“These were civilians who were killed. These were children who were torn apart in the attack. There is nothing left of them,” shouted one man, showing Middle East Eye a white tarp on which body parts were being collected.

Among those killed was local journalist Mohammad Meshmesh, bringing the number of journalists killed in the conflict to 160, the state media office in Gaza said.

The attack on the school left people in shock as they watched rescue workers recover bodies from the rubble, Nuseirat resident Riyad Abu Shanab told MEE.

“Look around. You can see body parts scattered everywhere,” said Abu Shanab.

“I could have been one of the victims. I had just gone to the toilet to wash my hands when lightning struck and the area burst into flames. Only a moment separated me from death,” he added.

“Before this strike, I could hear children’s noise outside. After the strike, the children’s noise disappeared.”

– Maysara, schoolgirl

“This is a UNRWA school that houses displaced people. Yesterday they also attacked a school. People are being killed before our eyes and we have nowhere to go.”

Um Alaa Abu Daher was sitting with her daughter and niece in a ground-floor classroom when the rocket hit nearby.

“Suddenly there was nothing outside but fire and smoke. But this is not the first time we have found ourselves in such a situation,” said Abu Daher.

Her niece Maysara said the school where the family had previously sought shelter was also hit, injuring several of her relatives.

“Before this strike, I could hear children’s noises outside. After the strike, the children’s noises disappeared,” Maysara said.

The Israeli military said there were “terrorists” active in the area and that reports of casualties were being investigated.

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At least 57 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, including 17 people killed in an attack near a campsite housing displaced people in the al-Mawasi humanitarian safe area in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The attack on al-Mawasi came after air strikes on a refugee camp in the same district on Saturday killed at least 88 people and injured 289 others.

Since October, more than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to local authorities. The majority of the dead are women and children.

Israel said on Tuesday it had killed or wounded 14,000 Hamas members and eliminated half of the organization’s leadership.

Israel claimed Saturday’s attack on al-Mawasi was aimed at Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, but the Palestinian group denied he was targeted.