ANKARA

Belgium on Wednesday condemned the recent Israeli attack on a school in Gaza and repeated calls for a cease-fire.

“Belgium condemns the attack on a school in #Gaza. According to @UN, more than 20 strikes on schools sheltering displaced people took place since July 4, killing nearly 300 people,” the Belgian foreign ministry said on X.

It reiterated its calls to stop attacks “against civilians” and stressed that international humanitarian law “must be respected.”

“We repeat our call for a ceasefire,” the ministry added.

At least 12 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike on a school that shelters hundreds of displaced people in Gaza City, the Civil Defense Agency said.

Israel has systematically targeted civilian facilities, including schools, hospitals, and places of worship, amid its ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Under the rules of war, targeting such civilian facilities can constitute a war crime.

The Israeli onslaught on Gaza has killed over 40,170 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 92,740 since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.