A strike by Israel on a school accommodating displaced individuals in Gaza resulted in the deaths of 20 people and injuries to many others, as reported by the territory’s civil defense agency.
Medics indicated that the casualties from the attack on the school, located in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City, included both women and children.
The Israeli military stated that “key terrorists” were present in the area.
According to the military, they had “targeted key terrorists operating within a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control center, which was situated in what once served as the ‘Faami Aljerjawi’ School in Gaza City.” They added that “numerous measures were implemented to minimize the risk of civilian harm.”
Over the weekend, rescuers in Gaza were struggling to recover bodies from the debris following a series of Israeli strikes.
In Jabalia, located in the northern region, seven individuals lost their lives at one residence, while several others remained trapped under rubble, according to a civil defense spokesperson.
The spokesperson mentioned that the civil defense lacks the necessary search tools and heavy machinery to assist in the recovery of the deceased and injured.
Additionally, two more individuals, including a seven-month-pregnant woman, were killed in an attack aimed at tents housing displaced people near Nuseirat in central Gaza, with doctors unable to save the unborn child.
The toll also included the civil defense’s operations director, Ashraf Abu Nar, and his wife, as per the spokesperson’s report.
Boys are seen among the debris of a home hit in an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat camp.
Fatal attacks were also reported in areas around Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Beit Lahia in the north, and the main southern city of Khan Younis.
The Gaza civil defense agency stated on Saturday that a couple’s nine children perished in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, while the Israeli army indicated it was reviewing these reports.
Recently, Israel partially eased a blockade initially imposed on March 2, which had significantly worsened food and medicine shortages in Gaza.
COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry’s entity overseeing civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, reported that “107 trucks belonging to the UN and the international community, carrying humanitarian aid, were transferred” into Gaza yesterday.
However, critics argue that this amount is insufficient, especially considering that many aid trucks end up being looted.
The World Food Programme has urged Israel “to expedite the delivery of significantly larger quantities of food assistance to Gaza,” stating that “hunger, desperation, and anxiety over potential food aid are fueling rising insecurity.”
This development coincides with the resignation of the head of a controversial US-backed organization intending to send aid to Gaza, introducing further uncertainty regarding the initiative’s future.
In a statement from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, executive director Jake Wood expressed that he felt compelled to resign after determining that the organization could not achieve its mission while adhering to “humanitarian principles.”
The foundation, which has been operating out of Geneva since February, has committed to distributing approximately 300 million meals in its first 90 days.
However, the United Nations and other established aid organizations have indicated they will not collaborate with the group, amid allegations of its collaboration with Israel.
Israel intensified its military actions in Gaza in early May, asserting its goal to dismantle Hamas’ military and governing capabilities while also seeking the release of remaining hostages seized in October 2023.
According to Gaza’s media office, Israel has gained control of around 77% of the enclave, either through ground forces or evacuation orders and bombardments that displace residents from their homes.
The Israeli campaign has wreaked havoc on Gaza, forcing nearly all of its two million residents from their homes.
Israeli assaults have resulted in the deaths of more than 53,000 individuals, many of whom are civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
The Hamas attacks on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, led to approximately 1,200 casualties, as reported by AFP tallies.
