An Israeli strike on a school being used as a shelter for displaced Palestinians in central Gaza has left at least 15 people dead, according to local officials. The Hamas-run Civil Defence Agency reported that the Nuseirat camp was hit by a barrage of artillery on Sunday, with entire families among the casualties and dozens more wounded.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have stated that they are investigating the reports of the incident. Earlier that day, five children were reportedly killed by a drone strike while playing at a street corner in northern Gaza.
The attack on Al-Mufti School, housing hundreds of displaced individuals, resulted in injuries to at least 50 people, with the death toll including over a dozen victims. Recent fighting in Gaza has been concentrated in the northern regions, where Israeli forces have intensively ramped up attacks as part of a major ground operation. Gazan authorities have reported hundreds of fatalities in the ongoing conflict.
Residents from the areas of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya have reported being isolated from nearby Gaza City, with Israeli tanks positioned on the periphery of the territory’s largest urban center. Local hospitals are running dangerously low on supplies, although the World Health Organization reported that a joint operation with the Red Cross managed to restock two facilities after nine days of attempts.
The five children killed in the northern Gaza incident were playing outside in the Al-Shati camp when they were struck by the drone strike. Graphic images from the scene depicted the tragic aftermath, showing the bloodied bodies of what appeared to be young teenage boys, one of whom was holding several glass marbles in his hand.
A witness relayed to a BBC correspondent that the drone attack targeted a person walking down the street, resulting in the deaths of the children and injuring seven others. Subsequent images showed the five boys’ bodies wrapped in white shrouds and laid on the ground side by side.
An aunt of one of the deceased boys, named Rami, shared a heartfelt tribute on social media, revealing that the family had relocated to Al-Shati from Jabalia in search of safety amid the ongoing conflict.
The IDF has not provided any commentary regarding this particular incident. Over the past year, the Hamas-run health ministry has reported more than 42,000 deaths due to the war. With about 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents displaced, many have had to move multiple times to evade danger.
The current wave of violence began following a historic attack by Hamas on northern Israel on October 7 last year, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities and over 200 hostages taken to Gaza.
Credit: BBC News
