Australia joins other nations in condemning deadly Israeli airstrike on Gaza school - MASHAHER

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has condemned the deaths of dozens of civilians in an compound housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza City.

The Israeli strike has drawn condemnation from Arab states, Türkiye, France, Britain and the European Union and an expression of deep concern from the United States, which has been working with partners to prevent the 10-month-old Gaza conflict from escalating into a regional war.

“Innocent Palestinians cannot continue to pay the price of defeating Hamas,” Wong said.

‘Many unidentified bodies’ from strike

Rescuers said around 100 people were killed in the strike, which, if confirmed, would make it one of the largest from a single strike during 10 months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants since Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Palestinians mourn their dead following an Israeli strike on the Al-Taba’een school in the Daraj Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza on 10 August 2024. Source: EPA / epa

Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the Gaza civil defence agency, said 11 children and six women were among the 93 who died at the school shelter, “and there are many unidentified body parts”.

Video from the site showed body parts scattered among rubble and more bodies being carried away and covered by blankets. Empty food tins lay in a puddle of blood, and burned mattresses and a child’s doll lay in the debris.

“They dropped a missile on them while they were just praying,” said one woman, mourning over a dead child shrouded in a plastic body bag.

Israel says death toll inflated

Israel said the toll was inflated and 19 militants were among the dead.

“The strike was carried out using three precise munitions, which can not cause the amount of damage that is being reported,” the military said in a statement.

It added that no severe damage was caused to the compound, and provided aerial photos and videos which it said proved this.

“The compound, and the mosque that was struck within it, served as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility,” Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said on X, without providing evidence.

An Israeli army official said the part of the mosque that was struck was reserved for men.

Source Agencies