Key facts
- An Israeli airstrike on a school in Deir el-Balah, Gaza, killed at least 27 people.
- The school was serving as a shelter for displaced Palestinians.
- A separate incident involved an Israeli tank firing on a UN peacekeeping force headquarters in southern Lebanon, wounding two peacekeepers.
- Over the past 24 hours, Israeli attacks in Gaza have resulted in two deaths and 12 injuries.
- Human Rights Watch has documented Israeli attacks on schools used as shelters, finding no evidence of military targets.
- Hundreds of Israeli attacks have struck over 500 school buildings in Gaza since October 2023.
An Israeli airstrike on a school in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, which was being used as a shelter for displaced civilians, killed at least 27 people on Thursday, according to Palestinian medical officials. Among the casualties were one child and seven women.
Witnesses reported that the strike occurred while school managers were meeting with aid group representatives. Israel has frequently accused Hamas of using civilian sites, such as schools, as cover for its operations. The Hamas-run government operates a civilian police force, though many officers have disappeared from streets following Israeli airstrikes targeting them.
In a separate development, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon reported that an Israeli tank fired at its headquarters in Naqoura, wounding two peacekeepers. The UN force stated its headquarters and nearby positions had been repeatedly hit, including a bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering. The Israeli military is reportedly investigating this incident.
Over the past 24 hours, Israeli attacks on Gaza have resulted in two deaths and 12 injuries. Another Palestinian died from wounds sustained in earlier Israeli army violence. Since the October ceasefire, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,203 and wounded 3,900 in Gaza. The ongoing Israeli offensive has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, with women and children comprising over half of the casualties.
Human Rights Watch has documented Israeli attacks on schools sheltering displaced Palestinians, noting that hundreds of strikes have hit over 500 school buildings since October 2023, causing significant damage and killing hundreds of civilians. The organization investigated specific strikes on the Khadija girls' school and al-Zeitoun C school, finding no evidence of a military target at either location. Human Rights Watch stated that these attacks highlight the absence of safe places for displaced people in Gaza and called for an arms embargo on the Israeli government.