Gaza rescuers report Israeli airstrike on school shelter, leaving 7 dead

At least seven people were killed in an Israeli bombardment on Sunday that targeted a school used as a shelter, according to civil defense workers in Gaza City.

The strike was directed against Hamas militants operating out of the area, according to the Israeli military.Most of Gaza’s 2.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing battle, which started after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

Many of them have taken sanctuary in school facilities. Israeli shelling at Kafr Qasim School in the Al-Shati refugee camp resulted in “seven martyrs and several injured, including those in critical condition,” according to Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defense service. At the location, hundreds of displaced locals were seeking refuge.

The Israeli military asserted that it had targeted militant Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip who were purportedly launching attacks from the school premises. The military would not disclose the number of casualties, but it did emphasiz attempts to reduce civilian losses by using accurate weapons and surveillance.

This tragedy fits into a trend of Israeli strikes on schools that house residents who have been displaced; the day before, in Gaza City, a similar strike claimed 21 lives. 18 people were killed in a previous strike at the UN-run Al-Jawni School on September 11, including six UNRWA employees, which sparked worldwide outrage.Hamas disputes Israeli military accusations that it uses civilian locations, such as schools, for cover.

Since the start of the war, at least 41,391 Palestinians, primarily civilians, have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry, a figure recognized by the United Nations. Meanwhile, 1,205 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed in the October 7 attack, with 97 hostages still being held in Gaza.