At least 24 Palestinians lost their lives in two Israeli air strikes overnight in Gaza. The strikes included a tragic hit on a school that was sheltering displaced families in central Gaza, according to local medics and officials.
The Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City was housing hundreds of people who had fled from Beit Lahia, a town currently facing intense Israeli military actions. Eyewitnesses reported seeing horrific scenes, with many bodies, including those of children, severely burned after fires broke out in classrooms that had been converted into living spaces.
A spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence indicated that 20 bodies were recovered from the school. One resident, Rami Rafiq, described the chaos, saying, "Flames were everywhere. I saw charred bodies lying on the ground." He added that his son fainted upon witnessing the scene.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that their target was a command center for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, claiming the area was being used to plan attacks against Israeli civilians and troops. They accused Hamas of using the civilian population as human shields.
In addition to the school strike, another Israeli air strike targeted a home in central Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of four more individuals. These attacks are part of a larger Israeli offensive that has intensified in northern Gaza over the past week.
This violence comes in the wake of a broader military campaign launched by Israel in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 251 others. Since then, the toll in Gaza has been staggering, with reports indicating that at least 53,939 people, including 16,500 children, have been killed.
The situation remains dire, with humanitarian aid severely limited. The Red Cross reported the deaths of two of its staff members in a separate air strike in Khan Younis, highlighting the increasing civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict. The international community continues to call for a ceasefire as the humanitarian crisis deepens.