CAIRO, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Egypt condemned on Monday Israel's continued targeting of school-turned-shelters in Gaza affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as its raids on Lebanon.
The continued targeting of UNRWA facilities in Gaza constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and a disregard for the international community, which has become unable to defend its most basic humanitarian values and principles as a result of blatant double standards, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Denouncing the recent Israeli raids on Lebanon, the ministry warned against persisting violation of Lebanese sovereignty, which would further complicate the regional situation.
It reiterated the necessity of putting into effect international accountability mechanisms, urging the international community to adopt a decisive stance with regard to the Israeli "aggression" and its "shameful crimes."
On Saturday, Israeli aircraft targeted the Abu Asi school, which houses displaced families in the al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, with two missiles, according to local sources and witnesses.
The Civil Defense said in a statement that its workers recovered 10 bodies, including those of women and children, and found 20 others injured, noting that the school had been targeted multiple times.
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 43,922, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Monday.
Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has intensified its air attack on Lebanon in an escalation of conflict with Hezbollah. Israel further initiated a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon in early October.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the war on Oct. 8, 2023, has topped 3,400, with injuries surpassing 14,000. ■
