Israeli strike on Gaza shelter leaves at least 31 dead - as American aid chief quits

At least 31 people have been killed and dozens more injured in an Israeli airstrike on a shelter in Gaza, health authorities have said.

Warning: Some readers may find content distressing Medical and civil defence sources on the ground confirmed women and children were among the casualties, with several charred bodies arriving at al Shifa and al Ahli hospitals overnight into Monday. The shelter in the Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza City was formerly a school and was being used to home displaced people who had fled previous bombardments.

More victims are feared trapped under the rubble of the building. The Israeli military said it hit a "command and control centre was used by the terrorists to plan and gather intelligence".

It claimed that prior to the strike "numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians". The news comes as a British doctor working in Gaza has hit out at politicians who he accused of being "complicit" in the "ongoing slaughter and starvation" in the Palestinian territory.

'They have never smelt the rotting flesh' Tom Potokar, who is working at a hospital in Khan Younis, said the "political class… appear on the news shows, give interviews and try to justify what is happening, sitting in their offices, safe and sound, well fed and surrounded by all the luxuries of modern life". "They have no idea how dangerous their words are," he continued.

"They have never been here, they've never seen with their own eyes what is going on, heard the screams, smelt the rotting flesh, shuddered from the constant bombardment." The medic added that if they spent "just one day here they would have the courage and the humanity to speak the truth... and use their power to bring this to an end, rather than being complicit in sustaining what is happening here".

Earlier, a medical charity chief spoke out about the deaths of a doctor's nine children in an Israeli strike on Friday, and the "almost impossibility" of providing care in Gaza. Chris Lockyear - secretary general of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders - told Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips the bodies of nine of paediatrician Alaa al Najjar's 10 children arrived at the Nasser Medical Complex, in Khan Younis, while she was on shift.

Read more:British doctor says Khan Younis looks like Stalingrad'Surgeon working in Gaza says it is now 'a slaughterhouse' Chief of US-backed aid group quits There has been mounting international condemnation of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which has seen Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuse Western leaders including Sir Keir Starmer of siding with Hamas. Last Tuesday, the UK paused free trade talks with Israel, summoned its ambassador, and announced further sanctions against West Bank settlers.

In recent days, Israel has allowed some aid trucks to enter Gaza after blocking the entry of medical, food, and fuel supplies since the start of March, which had prompted international experts to warn of looming famine. The head of a US-backed humanitarian organisation set up to transport aid as part of an Israeli plan - rather than a United Nations (UN) distribution effort - has since resigned.

Jake Wood, a former US marine, said on Sunday the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation he led for the past two months cannot adhere to the "humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon". The foundation has maintained it will begin delivering aid from Monday, and aims to reach one million Palestinians before the end of the week.

Israel has claimed previous UN aid deliveries have been stolen by Hamas fighters, but the UN believes the US-Israeli plans would only foment further violence and the forced relocation of Palestinians. Trump wants end to war Despite the warnings, Mr Netanyahu has vowed the whole of Gaza will be under Israel's control.

Israel stepped up its military operations in early May, saying it was seeking to eliminate Hamas' military and governing capabilities and bring back the remaining hostages who were seized on 7 October 2023. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on that day, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250 others.

Israel's response has flattened large areas of Gaza and killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Speaking on Sunday, Donald Trump repeated his desire to "see if we can stop" what is happening - but did not criticise Mr Netanyahu or the Israeli military campaign..