Israel airstrikes Gaza aid center, many casualties

Witnesses said the air strike targeted part of a vocational college run by the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, which is providing aid to displaced families.

“Some people were coming to collect coupons, others had to evacuate their homes and take shelter here. Some were pouring water, others were collecting coupons when suddenly we heard something falling. We ran away…”, said Mohammed Tafesh, one of the witnesses.

Palestinians carry a dead victim out of a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on June 23, 2024. Photo: Reuters

A Reuters photographer saw a building completely destroyed and bodies wrapped in blankets lying on the side of the road waiting to be taken away. “We pulled them out from under the rubble, one victim used to sell cold drinks and another used to sell cakes and others were handing out or accepting coupons,” Tafesh said.

The Israeli military said the site had been used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants. It added that precautions had been taken before the attack to reduce the risk of harm to civilians.

Hamas denies Israeli accusations that it uses civilians as human shields or civilian facilities for military purposes.

“Since the start of the war, we have recorded that nearly 190 of our buildings have been attacked,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s communications director. She added that a total of 193 UNRWA team members have been killed in the conflict.

Hamas media said shortly after midnight, another Israeli airstrike hit a clinic in Gaza City, killing the area's ambulance and emergency services director, Hani Al-Jaafarwi, and another medical worker.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the fierce fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip would end “very soon” but the war would not end until the Islamist group no longer controlled the Palestinian enclave.

“After the period of tension is over, we will be able to move part of our forces north. And we will do this,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14.

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/israel-khong-kich-trung-tam-vien-tro-gaza-nhieu-nguoi-thuong-vong-post300486.html