Day After Strike On School Killed 33, Israel Strikes Another UN School As Gaza War Enters 9th Month | Latest Updates

A day after an Israeli strike at a 'Hamas Compound' at a UN-run school in Gaza killed at least 33 people, the former's military on Friday struck another such school in northern Gaza. Palestinian emergency officials said that three people were killed.

The attack comes as Israel's war on Gaza entered its ninth month on Friday, with Gaza's Health Ministry saying that Israeli strikes have killed more than 36,730 people. Notably, the ministry does not differentiate between Combatants and civilians.

Meanwhile, international pressure on Israel to restrict the civilian bloodshed has been increasing, with the apex court of the United Nations noting a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza.

LATEST ON GAZA WAR

Israeli Strikes On Another UN School

The Israeli military on Friday struck another UN-run school in northern Gaza, what it said was a 'Hamas position' inside the premises. Palestinian emergency officials noted that three people were killed in this incident.

As per the Israeli Defense Forces, they "eliminated Hamas terrorists in precise IAF strikes while they were operating in a container inside the premises of an UN school in Shati earlier" on Friday.

The IDF said it believed that Hamas militants were carrying out "terrorist attacks" from the school, using it as a shield for their activities. "Prior to the strike, many steps were taken to mitigate civilian harm," the IDF justified.

At Least 33 Killed In Strikes In UN School

A day before as well, Israeli strikes on a UN school in central Gaza killed at least 33 persons, including 12 women and children. The military said that Hamas militants were operation from within the school, which was supposed to be sheltering displaced Palestinians, as per the UN.

As per a statement from the IDF, Israeli fighter jets "conducted a precise strike on the Hamas compound inside an UNRWA school in Nuseirat".

It identified eight additional militants who were eliminated in the strike at the Nuseirat UN school, saying that so far 17 of the militants had been identified.

Women & Children Of Gaza Killed Less Frequently As War Rages On: Report

An analysis by the Associated Press of the Gaza Health Ministry data showed that the proportion of Palestinian women and children being killed in the war on Gaza have declined sharply, with Israeli changing its battlefield tactics.

The trend is significant because the death rate for women and children is the best available proxy for civilian casualties in one of the 21st century's most destructive conflicts. In October, when the war began, it was above 60%. For the month of April, it was below 40%, the report said.

Mounting Pressure On Israel

The International pressure on Israel to restrict the bloodshed in its war against Hamas has been increasing by the day, with the top UN court noting that there is a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza, an allegation that Israel has been denying from the start.

Just last week, US President Joe Biden's 3-phase plan for Gaza ceasefire.

Biden had said that the proposal was the result of intensive diplomacy by his team and has been conveyed to Hamas via Qatar, who is one of the main mediators in the negotiations.

Reacting to Biden's speech, Hamas had said that it "viewed positively what was included" in the US President's speech.

The Palestinian outfit had also said that it would only deal with proposals if they were based on a permanent cease-fire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, among other stipulations.

American-built Pier In Gaza Reconnected To Beach

The US military on Friday said that an American-built pier designed to carry seriously needed aid into Gaza has been reconnected to the beach after a portion of it broke apart in storms and rough seas.

The US Central Command announced that the flow of food and other supplies from the pier will begin soon. CC Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said operations will be ramped up soon with a goal of getting a million pounds of food and other supplies into Gaza every two days.

The pier was only operational for a week before a storm broke it apart, and had initially struggled to reach delivery goals.

Spain Joins South Africa's Genocide Cast At ICJ

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Maneul Albares on Thursday confirmed that Spain will be joining South Africa in the genocide case against South Africa at the International Court of Justice.

This came weeks after Spain -- along with Ireland and Norway -- formally recognised Palestine as a state on May 28.

The three European countries called the recognition of Palestine a "necessary call in the move towards peace and security in the region".

Recap On Gaza War

Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over 1,100 people and taking over 240 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in Gaza, resulting in he deaths of over 36,000 Palestinians, as per health ministry data.

In November 2023, talks between Hamas and Israel led to the release of nearly 100 hostages in return for freedom of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Late last month, the top UN court, ICJ ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah, in the Gaza strip.

“Israel must immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in Rafah which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,” Judge Nawaf Salam, ICJ's president, had said.

(With AP inputs)