DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City early Saturday, killing more than 60 people, Palestinian health authorities said, in one of the deadliest strikes in the 10-month-old war between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli military acknowledged the strike, claiming it hit a Hamas command center within the school.
The strike on the Tabeen school in central Gaza City also wounded 47 people, the Health Ministry’s Ambulance and Emergency service said. The facility, like almost all of Gaza’s schools, has been used as a shelter for people who have been forced to flee their homes by the war.
The strike hit without warning in the early morning before sunrise as people were praying at a mosque inside the school, according to Abu Anas, a witness who worked to rescue people.
“There were people praying, there were people washing and there were people upstairs sleeping, including children, women and old people,” he said. “The missile fell on them without warning. The first missile, and the second. We recovered them as body parts.”
Three missiles ripped through the school and the mosque inside, where about 6,000 displaced people were taking shelter from the war, said Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government.
Many of the dead were unrecognizable, he said, adding that he expected the death toll to rise. Many of the casualties were women and children, he said.
According to the United Nations, 477 out of 564 schools in Gaza have been directly hit or damaged in the war as of July 6. In June, an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza killed at least 33 people, including 12 women and children, according to local health officials.
Israel has blamed the civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying the group endangers noncombatants by using schools and residential neighborhoods as bases for operations and attacks.
In its statement Saturday, the Israeli military said the school was located next to a mosque serving as a shelter for Gaza City residents.
The strike came as American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators renewed their push for the two parties to achieve a cease-fire agreement that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of top Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 39,600 Palestinians and wounded more than 91,700 others, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which militants from Gaza stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 250 others.
More than 1.9 million of Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.3 million have been driven from their homes, fleeing repeatedly across the territory to escape offensives. Most are now crowded into ramshackle tent camps in an area of about 50 square kilometers (19 square miles) on the Gaza coast.
On May 16, 2021, a devastating Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City resulted in the deaths of over 60 people, according to Palestinian health officials. The attack, which targeted the Al-Shati refugee camp, has been condemned by international organizations and world leaders as a violation of human rights and a tragic loss of innocent lives.
The airstrike on the school in Gaza City is just one of many in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has escalated in recent weeks. The violence began with clashes in Jerusalem over the forced eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and the Israeli police’s response to protests at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The situation quickly escalated into a full-scale military conflict, with both sides launching airstrikes and rocket attacks on each other’s territories.
The targeting of a school in Gaza City, where civilians sought refuge from the violence, is a clear violation of international humanitarian law. Schools and other civilian infrastructure are protected under the Geneva Conventions, and attacks on them are considered war crimes. The indiscriminate nature of the airstrike, which resulted in the deaths of women and children, has sparked outrage and condemnation from around the world.
The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire and for both sides to respect international law and protect civilians. The Secretary-General, António Guterres, has expressed his deep concern over the escalating violence and the high number of civilian casualties. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has also condemned the attack on the school in Gaza City and called for an end to the violence.
World leaders, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have called for an end to the violence and a return to negotiations for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The European Union has also urged both sides to de-escalate and engage in dialogue to prevent further loss of life.
The tragic airstrike on the school in Gaza City serves as a stark reminder of the toll that armed conflict takes on innocent civilians. As the death toll continues to rise and the humanitarian crisis deepens, it is imperative that all parties involved prioritize the protection of civilians and work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Only through dialogue and diplomacy can a lasting peace be achieved in the region.
