The head of the European Union’s diplomacy, Josep Borrell, called on Saturday for a “political solution” to end the “madness” in the Gaza Strip, after the heaviest bombardment by the Israeli armed forces that targeted a school, in which they lost their lives at least 30 people, according to sources in the Palestinian enclave.

“A ceasefire must be declared now. International humanitarian law must be respected. Humanitarian aid must be distributed to civilians on a large scale. Only a political solution can put an end to this madness,” Mr Borrell opined via X.

“Another attack against a school used as a shelter for internally displaced people in Khan Younis (…) At the same time, the already very vulnerable population is being asked to be displaced again and again and there is no end in sight,” the head of European diplomacy added.

Yesterday’s bombing of a school in Deir al-Bala, in the central part of the Gaza Strip, was at least the eighth against an educational structure since July 6. In total, the bombings have killed at least 100 people, according to figures from the enclave’s health ministry and a hospital source.

The Israeli military said it carried out an operation at the school in Deir al-Bala targeting what it said were “terrorists” operating there.

Since the outbreak of war, most of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents have been forcibly displaced more than once, many taking refuge in school buildings like the one bombed yesterday.

On October 7, Hamas’s military arm launched an unprecedented raid in southern Israel, during which 1,197 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data.

The large-scale operations by the Israeli armed forces in retaliation have killed at least 39,258 people, also mostly civilians, according to the latest data from the Hamas Health Ministry.