Algeria requests urgent UN Security Council meeting Tuesday after deadly Israeli strike on Gaza school: MENA

CAIRO – 10 August 2024: Algeria has requested an open emergency session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday in response to an Israeli assault on a Gaza school shelter that resulted in the deaths of at least 100 individuals.

The Egyptian state news agency MENA cited an Algerian diplomat in New York who stated that this plea was made in light of the recent alarming developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly the airstrike on Al-Tabeen school that occurred on Saturday.

The diplomat noted that the request was lodged in consultation with the State of Palestine, emphasizing that Algeria's appeal has garnered the support of several other UNSC member states.

The attack on the school marks one of the deadliest incidents carried out by Israeli forces in Gaza since the onset of the war on October 7, claiming the lives of over 100 people and injuring numerous others, as reported by various news outlets.

Al-Tabeen school had been a haven for displaced Palestinians seeking refuge from Israeli airstrikes. Israeli forces have conducted multiple lethal assaults on hospitals, schools, and designated safe zones across Gaza, killing and injuring scores of civilians.

Israel has predominantly justified these attacks by alleging they targeted Hamas and other Islamist combatants within these areas.

In a previous incident in July, Israel struck Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian zone in western Khan Younis, killing around 100 civilians, including children and civil emergency personnel, with hundreds more sustaining injuries.

This recent assault coincides with Tel Aviv's acceptance of a joint appeal by Egypt, Qatar, and the US for both Israel and Hamas to resume urgent ceasefire negotiations on August 15.

Over the course of the past 10 months, the Israeli war in Gaza has led to nearly 40,000 fatalities, over 91,000 injuries, massive displacement of Gaza's 2.2 million inhabitants, and the looming specter of famine.

These developments also occur amidst an increasingly volatile regional landscape.

Israel and the US are on high alert amid concerns of potential retaliatory actions from Iran against Israeli targets following the recent assassinations of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran by Israeli forces.

Escalating tensions have been exacerbated by warnings issued by Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, both backed by Iran and long-standing adversaries of Israel, who have threatened severe consequences in response to the recent killings.