Saudi Arabia slams Israeli attack on Gaza school, calls for protection of civilians

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry on Sunday condemned a deadly Israeli strike on a school in central Gaza that was sheltering displaced Palestinians.

The attack on Saturday targeted UNRWA’s al-Jaouni School in al-Nuseirat, one of the Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 50 others, according to Palestinian authorities.

In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the foreign ministry “reiterated the Kingdom’s complete rejection of the systematic targeting of civilians, while demanding an immediate ceasefire.”

The ministry emphasized the need for “the protection of civilians and civilian and relief facilities and their workers,” and stressed “the necessity of activating international accountability mechanisms in the face of continued Israeli violations of international humanitarian law and international legitimacy resolutions.”

The Israeli military said the airstrike at the school was aimed at militants operating in the vicinity.