At least 22 Palestinians have been killed and 100 injured following a strike on a UN-run school in central Gaza that was sheltering displaced individuals, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The Israeli military stated it targeted Hamas “terrorists” operating from Abu Oraiban School in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Witnesses reported that there were no armed fighters present, and children were among the casualties. This marks the fifth attack on or near schools in the past eight days.
On Monday, residents reported new air and artillery Israeli Strike’s in central Gaza, resulting in five more deaths from a house hit in Maghazi refugee camp. The Israeli military claimed to have struck numerous “terror targets” across the region within the last day.
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Hamas announced that indirect negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release with Israel are ongoing. This follows a strike in the southern al-Mawasi area on Saturday, which reportedly killed over 90 people. The Israeli military confirmed targeting a compound housing Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’s armed wing, along with Khan Younis Brigade commander Rafa Salama, who was killed, although it remains uncertain if Deif also perished; Hamas stated he is in good health.
A US State Department spokesperson noted that Antony Blinken raised serious concerns about civilian casualties during discussions with key Israeli officials, who reiterated Israel’s commitment to pursuing a ceasefire under the conditions outlined by Joe Biden in May.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza aims to dismantle Hamas in response to a massive attack on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken. Since then, over 38,660 individuals have reportedly died in Gaza, with no distinction made between civilians and combatants in the health ministry’s figures.
According to the UN, approximately 1.9 million people, constituting 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced from their homes, with some forced to move multiple times. Thousands sought refuge at Abu Oraiban School, managed by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), when it was struck on Sunday afternoon.
A displaced woman recounted in Arabic that she was lighting a fire to cook in a corridor when a nearby room was hit. “The explosion caused the room’s walls to collapse on us,” she said. She described scenes of injured children and fatalities covered with blankets. Another witness stated his family had lived at the school for six months, trusting UN facilities to be safe.
“There were no armed individuals, and there was no justification for targeting schools like this,” he added, emphasizing that most casualties were women and children at the school. Video footage captured by a freelance cameraman that showed hundreds of people walking past debris at the school compound, with a badly damaged staircase visible through holes in a nearby building’s wall.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Hamas fighters used the school as a “hideout and operational infrastructure” for launching attacks against Israeli troops. They emphasized that extensive measures were taken to minimize civilian casualties, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence.
The IDF accused Hamas of systematically violating international law by using civilians and civilian structures as “human shields,” a claim that Hamas has denied. A spokesperson for Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defense reported that 15 people were killed in the recent strike, with most casualties being women and children. The health ministry later confirmed the death toll had risen to 22 but did not provide further details.
Hamas condemned the Israeli attack as an “extension of the genocide” against displaced Palestinians. The IDF acknowledged conducting five strikes on or near schools housing displaced individuals since July 6, targeting Hamas officials, police, and fighters utilizing these facilities.
Last Tuesday, hospital officials reported at least 29 deaths from an Israeli Strike on a camp for displaced people near Abasan al-Kabira, close to Khan Younis. Additionally, a total of 20 individuals, including a senior Hamas official, were reportedly killed in three previous strikes on two other UNRWA-run schools in Nuseirat and a church-run school in Gaza City.
