Hamas denies Israeli allegations of presence in UNRWA school

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has condemned a deadly Israeli attack on a UNRWA-affiliated school in central Gaza, dismissing as “pure lies and deception” Israel's claim that resistance fighters had been present in the building.

Hamas in a statement on Saturday called the Israeli airstrike on Al-Jaouni school, a UN-run school sheltering 7,000 displaced people at Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, a “horrific massacre” in which 16 Palestinians were killed and many others wounded.

The Palestinian group’s statement came after the Israeli forces claimed the UNRWA-run school was used by Hamas fighters as a command center.

“This criminal enemy is trying to pass and market its crimes to public opinion, and hide its clear objectives, which it seeks to implement by exterminating our Palestinian people and destroying all the components of life in the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said in the statement.

Hamas’s statement noted that shelters, schools, and UNRWA facilities have been systematically targeted and destroyed, resulting in the killings of hundreds of displaced individuals, including children, women, and the elderly.

“The number of UNRWA facilities targeted has reached one hundred and ninety centers, confirming the criminal intentions of the fascist occupation government and its pursuit of destruction and inflicting the maximum number of unarmed civilians inside, in a continuation of the war against our people,” the statement added.

Hamas labeled the Israeli attacks as war crimes and blatant violations of international law, urging the international community to take a firm stand in denouncing these attacks, taking action to stop them, and ensuring that those responsible, including occupation leaders, are held accountable for their actions.

Israel bombs school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza, kills 16

The school was sheltering displaced people at Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Moreover, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in a statement strongly condemned the Israeli assault on Al-Jaouni school, describing it as a new chapter of Zionist brutality that highlights a surge in Zionist aggression backed by the American government.

“These massacres will not undermine the determination and steadfastness of our people, who refuse to succumb to oppression, massacres, and aggression. The enemy will certainly pay the price for its crimes,” the statement added.

Israel’s demise inevitable, resistance to fight until last bullet: Islamic Jihad

The Islamic Jihad says the Israeli regime is certain to face annihilation, pledging that Gaza’s resistance would fight the occupying entity to the bitter end.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced that 250,000 people have been impacted by Israel’s latest evacuation order for parts of southern Gaza.

The mass displacement of Gaza in the war-torn territory comes amid the World Health Organization's warning of a public health catastrophe as it says diarrhea, chickenpox and jaundice are spreading fast among Gaza’s displaced population due to lack of clean water and personal hygiene materials.

More than 38,098 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and 87,705 wounded so far throughout Israel’s brutal military onslaught.

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