Gaza devastation as Israeli airstrike on school kills 33 including 14 children

06 June 2024 , 21:48

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Palestinians check a UN-school housing displaced people that was hit during Israeli bombardment (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

An overnight Israeli strike on a Gaza school killed at least 33 Palestinians including 14 children and nine women.

The school-turned-shelter is run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, and Israel claimed it was being used as a Hamas compound. Another strike on a house overnight killed six people. Both strikes occurred in Nuseirat, one of several built-up refugee camps in Gaza.

International pressure has been mounting to limit civilian bloodshed in the Israel-Hamas war. Spain's foreign minister announced his country will ask a UN court for permission to join South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

United States President Joe Biden's administration has launched an intense drive to persuade Hamas and Israel to accept a new cease-fire and hostage release proposal.

Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. The eight-month war in Gaza has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine, and other supplies to Palestinians who are facing widespread hunger.

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United Nations agencies say over a million in Gaza could experience the highest level of starvation by mid-July. Israel launched the war after Hamas' October 7 attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and abducted about 250.

Around 80 hostages captured on October 7 are believed to still be alive in Gaza, alongside the remains of 43 others. More than a dozen countries joined the US in a statement Thursday to show support for Biden's proposed deal to release the remaining hostages in Gaza and end the war.

It was signed by the leaders of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States.

It said: "As leaders of countries deeply concerned for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including many of our own citizens, we fully support the movement towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal now on the table and as outlined by President Biden on May 31, 2024. There is no time to lose."

Chris Hughes