Israeli strike kills 7 displaced Palestinians sheltering in college building in Gaza City

GAZA CITY, Palestine

At least seven Palestinians were killed Tuesday and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting a college building housing displaced people in Gaza City, a medical source said.

The attack targeted the Namaa College building, where hundreds of displaced Palestinians have taken shelter northwest of Gaza City, the source added.

“There is a threat from the Israeli army to strike the college again,” the Palestinian Civil Defense Agency warned in a statement.

According to witnesses, one of the college buildings was destroyed in the Israeli attack.

“The targeted area was crowded with residents and displaced people,” an eyewitness told Anadolu.

Israel has systematically targeted civilian facilities, including schools, hospitals, and places of worship amid its ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Under the rules of war, targeting such civilian facilities can constitute a war crime.

The Israeli onslaught on Gaza has resulted in more than 40,800 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and nearly 94,300 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala