TEL AVIV: An Israeli air strike on a school in Gaza on Thursday killed at least 28 people, the Palestinian Red Crescent said as the death toll from the ongoing Israeli bombardments since October 7 last year has soared to at least 42,065.
The Israeli strike targeted Rafida School in Deir el-Balah, which was housing displaced Palestinians amidst ongoing Israeli bombardments.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, in addition to the fatalities, 54 persons were injured in the attack. Gaza’s health ministry confirmed the same death toll. The school had been converted into a shelter for civilians displaced by the Israeli attacks.
Thursday’s strike is part of a series of Israeli attacks on schools and other civilian shelters in Gaza, which has been under relentless bombardment for over a year. The latest incident follows another airstrike on a school in northern Gaza’s Jabalia camp on September 26, which left at least 15 dead, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency.
Israel has accused Hamas of using civilian buildings, including schools and hospitals, as shields for their military operations, a claim Hamas denies.
The UN and other humanitarian groups have repeatedly called for greater protection of civilians in the conflict, which has resulted in a massive toll on the Palestinian population.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 42,065 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry. The United Nations has recognized the casualty data as reliable.
Meanwhile, tensions in the region have continued to escalate. On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid extending its military campaign to Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas. Biden emphasized the need to minimize harm to civilians, particularly in densely populated areas of Beirut.
Biden and Netanyahu discussed the possibility of Israeli retaliation against Iran for its recent missile strike. The White House confirmed that both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Netanyahu, as Israel weighs its response to last week’s attack by Iran.
With no signs of an imminent ceasefire and the conflict spreading to neighboring countries, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. Almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, and the region faces a complete breakdown of healthcare services and widespread hunger.
