Geneva, 06 June 2024 (Anadolu News)

The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering thousands of displaced civilians in the central Gaza Strip has risen to 40, according to Palestinian authorities on Thursday.

The victims included 14 children and nine women in the attack on a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Nuseirat refugee camp Wednesday night, Gaza’s government media office said in a statement.

Some 74 displaced civilians were also injured, including 23 children and 18 women, it added.

According to the media office, at least 149 shelters were attacked by Israeli forces in Gaza since last October.

Belgium's development minister on Thursday called for imposing “economic sanctions and arms embargo” on Israel, as an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in central Gaza killed dozens of people.

"Once again, innocent children are the victim of ruthless violence. This cannot be justified," Caroline Gennez said on X. "International pressure on Israeli government must be stepped up: time for economic sanctions and arms embargo."

"Violence only leads to more violence," Gennez warned.

Her comments came after at least 39 displaced Palestinians were killed on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering thousands of displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp, the central Gaza Strip, according to Gaza authorities.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 36,600 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 83,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.