MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/. Russia calls on Israel to refrain from attacking civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a comment, warning that tragedies similar to the deadly attack on a school in Gaza undermined efforts toward a ceasefire and exchange of hostages as soon as possible.
"We note with regret that such strikes in the Gaza Strip that kill civilians have been sporadic. We call on the Israel side to refrain from attacks on civilian facilities as we believe that they cannot be justified," Zakharova said, citing data that put the number of refugee center bombings over the past month alone at 13. "Tragedies similar to what happened today at the al-Taba’een school undermine international efforts aimed at de-escalation in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a ceasefire as soon as possible and an exchange of people being held hostage," the diplomat continued.
Russia reiterates its principled and consistent position on the need for strict compliance with international humanitarian law, Zakharova added.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday morning it had delivered what it described as a targeted airstrike on Hamas fighters inside the al-Taba’een school in Gaza.
Al Jazeera television quoted the Gaza Strip’s civil defense agency as saying that at least 93 people, including 11 children and six women, were killed in the Israeli airstrike. In turn, the Palestinian enclave’s government said the attack killed more than 100 people. The IDF dismissed the death toll as overestimated.