CAIRO: Eight Palestinians were killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike on a vocational college near Gaza City that was serving as a distribution center for aid, run by the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.
According to local media reports, Israeli tanks also advanced further into the southern city of Rafah.
The strike targeted a section of an industrial college operated by the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, which was providing assistance to displaced families, witnesses reported. Neither UNRWA nor the Israeli military immediately responded to requests for comment.
“Some people were coming to receive coupons and others had been displaced from their houses and they were sheltering here. Some were filling up water, others were receiving coupons, and suddenly we heard something falling. We ran away, those who were carrying water let it spill,” said Mohammed Tafesh, one of the witnesses.
“People were here to collect aid coupons, while others who had been displaced were seeking shelter. Some were fetching water when suddenly we heard an explosion. We ran away, leaving behind spilled water,” said Mohammed Tafesh, one of the witnesses.
A Reuters photographer reported a low-rise building completely destroyed, with bodies wrapped in blankets laid out by the roadside awaiting removal.
“We pulled out several people who had been killed, including a vendor of cold drinks, a pastry seller, and others who were involved in distributing or receiving aid coupons,” Tafesh added. “About four or five people were killed, and ten others were injured.
Israel’s ongoing military aggression against Palestinians now in its eighth month, has focused on Rafah in the south and the Deir Al-Balah area in the center. Residents reported that Israeli tanks had reached the perimeter of the Mawasi displaced persons’ camp in northwest Rafah. This offensive has included the demolition of dozens of homes in recent days.
“Fierce battles are ongoing with the resistance. Israeli forces now control the Mawasi area, forcing families there to flee to Khan Younis,” said an unnamed resident via a messaging app.
On Saturday, Palestinian health officials reported that at least 47 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting northern Gaza.
In Beit Lahiya, health officials at Kamal Adwan Hospital sadly confirmed the death of an infant due to malnutrition, bringing the number of children who have died from malnutrition or dehydration since October 7 to at least 30, a figure health official believe may be underreported.
Since the beginning of the Israeli ground and air campaign in Gaza, at least 37,598 Palestinians have been killed, while 86,032 have been injured, the Palestinian health authorities said.
