Tragic Toll: Israeli Airstrike on Gaza School Kills 22
At least 22 Palestinians were killed and 100 injured on Sunday in a strike on a UN-run school in central Gaza, used as a shelter for displaced individuals, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.
The Israeli military stated that it targeted Hamas “terrorists” operating from Abu Oraiban School in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Witnesses, however, told BBC Arabic that no armed fighters were present and that children were among the casualties.
This incident marks the fifth attack on or near schools within eight days. Residents reported fresh air and artillery strikes in central Gaza on Monday, with five people reportedly killed when a house in the Maghazi refugee camp was hit.
The Israeli military claimed its aircraft had targeted dozens of “terror targets” across the territory in the past day. Hamas reported ongoing indirect negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release with Israel after an airstrike in the southern al-Mawasi humanitarian area on Saturday, which the health ministry said killed over 90 people.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted a compound where Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’s armed wing, was hiding with Khan Younis Brigade commander Rafa Salama. While Salama was confirmed dead, Deif’s fate remains unclear, although Hamas asserts that Deif is in good health.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed serious concerns about the recent civilian casualties during a meeting with Israeli officials on Monday. He discussed the situation with national security advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, who reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to a ceasefire deal under terms outlined by Joe Biden in May.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken. Since then, more than 38,660 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry.
The UN estimates that 1.9 million people, or 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced, with some forced to relocate multiple times. Thousands were reportedly sheltering at Abu Oraiban School, run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), when it was struck.
A displaced woman told BBC Arabic she was lighting a fire to cook when a nearby room was hit, causing walls to collapse and resulting in severe injuries and deaths. Another resident, who had been living at the school for six months, said UN facilities were supposed to be safe and that no armed men were present. He noted that the dead and injured were mainly women and children.
Footage filmed by a BBC Arabic freelancer showed people walking past rubble in the school compound. A damaged staircase was visible through large holes in the school building. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Hamas fighters had used the school as “a hideout and operational infrastructure” for attacks.
The IDF claimed it took numerous steps to mitigate civilian harm, including using precise munitions and additional intelligence. The IDF accused Hamas of using civilians and civilian structures as “human shields,” a claim Hamas denies.
A spokesman for Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence force told AFP news agency that 15 people were initially killed, mostly women and children. On Monday, the health ministry reported the death toll had risen to 22 but provided no further details.
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Hamas condemned the strike as an “extension of the genocide” against displaced Palestinians. The IDF has acknowledged five strikes on or near schools since July 6, targeting Hamas members using them as bases. Last Tuesday, hospital officials said at least 29 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a displaced persons camp outside a school in Abasan al-Kabira, near Khan Younis. Twenty people, including a senior Hamas official, were killed in three earlier strikes on Unrwa-run schools in Nuseirat and a church-run school in Gaza City.
Source BBC
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