Displaced Palestinians left desperate, dismayed as Israel targets school shelters

Shell-shocked Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip have questioned the inexplicable bombings which are being conducted by Israel on schools housing scores of innocent families, with many becoming increasingly desperate for their lives as seemingly nowhere is safe from these targeted Israeli attacks.

The United Nations estimates that around 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.1 million population have been forcibly displaced amid Israel's military attacks. Many Gazans are now residing in school buildings that have been turned into makeshift shelters, but these appear to no longer be safe spaces either, due to the frequency of ongoing Israeli airstrikes.

Since the beginning of August, at least 13 schools that have taken in those seeking safety have been subject to attacks, the worst of which came on Saturday when over 100 people were killed. The bombings have provoked widespread anger across the Middle East, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the continued loss of life in Gaza.

At the Al-Ramla School, half of the building has been reduced to rubble by Israeli shelling. However, with nowhere else to go, many families are still choosing to stay there temporarily and hope for the best.

"We came from the Shuja'iyya neighborhood. We used to live in the Dalal al-Maghribi School, which was bombed ten days ago. We had to move here after that. You can see that this school is badly damaged. There are only ten classrooms and ten to twelve families living there. The building next to us was attacked two days ago. The Al-Zahraa School that is less than 20 to 30 meters away from us was also attacked a few days ago," Omar Sukkar, a displaced man told China Central Television (CCTV).

According to figures published by the Hamas-run Gaza government media office on Monday, since the conflict erupted on October 7 last year, 175 shelters have been attacked by the Israeli army, including over 150 schools housing displaced people.

The attacks come as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleges some Palestinian militants are operating inside these schools or are using them as command centers, but for many of the traumatized civilians living here, such accusations seem hard to fathom.

"The Israeli army claims there are resistance forces, political or military personnel here. Where are the military personnel? Look at these buildings. Is there anything here? Where are the 'commanders' or so-called 'armed personnel'? How they came to such a conclusion? Please explain. There are only children in the attacked school," said Hamza Al-Skafi, another displaced man sheltering in the school.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza has now risen to nearly 40,000, the Gaza-based health authorities said on Tuesday.

Displaced Palestinians left desperate, dismayed as Israel targets school shelters

Displaced Palestinians left desperate, dismayed as Israel targets school shelters

Displaced Palestinians left desperate, dismayed as Israel targets school shelters

Displaced Palestinians left desperate, dismayed as Israel targets school shelters

Peace talks on the settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict require equality, autonomous negotiators and trust, said Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin on Friday, on the sidelines of the 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which was held from Thursday to Saturday.

Khrenin talked about the military relations between Belarus and China, and the Ukraine issue.

Before attending the second plenary session of the forum, Khrenin said he hoped to expound Belarus' views and positions on the international situation in an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV).

"I hope to expound our views and position on the increasingly complex situation, globally on the whole or just about Belarus. I want to expound our views on how the international community develops and how all parties seek common ground," he said.

Noting that China and Belarus have strengthened military cooperation since they established diplomatic ties 32 years ago, Khrenin said he was deeply impressed with the "Eagle Assault 2024" joint exercise between the two countries in July this year.

"I noticed some details in the exercise, and what's the most important is that the Chinese and Belarusian servicemen in one group and one operation didn't need any translator but could understand each other. It shows that our armies share tacit understanding, which is very important," he said.

Khrenin also recalled the moment that the guard of honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army participated in the parade marking the 80th anniversary of Belarus' liberation from Nazi invaders.

"I thank Chinese leaders for dispatching troops to Belarus on the occasion of such an important festival. The Belarusian people warmly welcomed them just like greeting their family members," he said.

Khrenin also explained why Belarus has decided to establish a system against unmanned aerial vehicles.

"The Ukraine crisis has shown how modes of operation and forms of war are changing, so we are in full swing to work in this direction because we know such weapons may target us too," he said.

With the Ukraine crisis entering its third year, Khrenin put forward three conditions for resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict through peace talks.

"It is a pity that we haven't seen any sign of the easing of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but we can see that it is not Ukraine's independent decision. Of course, the main beneficiary in the conflict is the West, especially the United States who does not want to lose its hegemony. However, they don't understand that the current world has become multipolar, so it is always possible to resolve conflict through peace talks. Meanwhile, rigid conditions are needed to conduct such negotiations today. One of the important conditions is equality, the second is the autonomy of negotiators, which Ukraine doesn't have yet, and the third is trust," he said.

Initiated in 2006, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum is a high-level security and defense forum in the Asia-Pacific region with significant international influence.

Peace talks on Russia-Ukraine conflict need equality, autonomous negotiators, trust: Belarusian defense minister