24 Killed in Israeli Air Strikes on Gaza, Including Attack on School Sheltering Displaced Families

According to medics and Civil Defence officials, at least 24 Palestinians were killed in two separate Israeli air strikes overnight, including an attack on a school in central Gaza that was sheltering families displaced by the ongoing conflict. The air strike targeted the Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City, which had been housing hundreds of displaced people from Beit Lahia, a northern town currently under intense Israeli military operations. Civil Defence officials confirmed that “20 bodies were recovered from the site, including children.” Many of the victims were severely burned after fi

According to medics and Civil Defence officials, at least 24 Palestinians were killed in two separate Israeli air strikes overnight, including an attack on a school in central Gaza that was sheltering families displaced by the ongoing conflict. The air strike targeted the Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City, which had been housing hundreds of displaced people from Beit Lahia, a northern town currently under intense Israeli military operations. Civil Defence officials confirmed that “20 bodies were recovered from the site, including children.” Many of the victims were severely burned after fires engulfed two classrooms that had been converted into living spaces. The Israeli military (IDF) stated that the school had been used as a "Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control centre." In a statement, the IDF said militants were "using the area to plan and direct terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops," and accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields. In a phone interview with BBC, Rami Rafiq, a resident living across from the school said "flames were everywhere. I saw charred bodies lying on the ground” He added, "My son fainted when he saw the horrific scene." Graphic video footage shared online showed large fires consuming parts of the school, along with images of burned victims, including children, and survivors with critical injuries. Local sources reported that among the dead was Mohammad Al-Kasih, head of investigations for the Hamas-run police in northern Gaza, along with his wife and children. Just before the school was struck, another Israeli air strike hit a home in central Gaza City, killing four people, according to the health ministry administered by Hamas. These attacks come amid an escalating Israeli offensive in northern Gaza over the past week. On Friday, a separate Israeli strike on the home of Palestinian physician Dr. Alaa al-Najjar killed nine of her ten children. Her 11-year-old son, Adam, was injured, as was her husband, Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar, who remains in critical condition now. The children: Yahya, Rakan, Raslan, Gebran, Eve, Rival, Sayden, Luqman, and Sidra, were between a few months old and 12 years of age. The Israeli military has stated that the incident is under review. In another incident, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that two of its staff members were killed in a strike on their home in Khan Younis on Saturday. The victims were identified as Ibrahim Eid, a weapons contamination officer, and Ahmad Abu Hilal, a security guard at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah. In a statement, the ICRC said, “The killing... points to the intolerable civilian death toll in Gaza,” reiterating its call for an immediate ceasefire. Meanwhile, the head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S. and Israeli-approved initiative that planned to deliver aid through private companies, announced his resignation on Sunday. Executive Director Jake Wood said the effort failed to meet “the humanitarian principles” of neutrality and independence. The foundation had sought to establish distribution hubs in Gaza. Israel imposed a full blockade on Gaza on 2 March, lasting 11 weeks before limited humanitarian aid was allowed in amid growing fears of famine and rising international condemnation. The Israeli military coordination body, COGAT, said on Saturday that 388 aid trucks had entered Gaza since Monday. However, the United Nations maintains that between 500 and 600 trucks per day are needed to meet humanitarian needs. In Madrid, 20 countries and international organizations convened on Sunday to discuss efforts to end the war. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called for an arms embargo on Israel if it does not cease its military attacks in Gaza. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’s 7 October 2023 cross-border attack, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages. According to the health ministry in Gaza, at least 53,939 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began, including more than 16,500 children.