Israeli airstrikes in Gaza result in numerous civilian casualties

At least 24 Palestinians have died following two separate Israeli airstrikes overnight in Gaza, including a devastating strike on a school sheltering displaced families in central Gaza, according to medical personnel and Civil Defence officials.

The Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City had been providing refuge to hundreds displaced from Beit Lahia, which is currently under heavy Israeli military attack.

Officials from Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence reported the recovery of 20 bodies from the school, including children. Many victims were severely burned after fires swept through two classrooms converted into living spaces.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the target was a command and control center used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad to plan attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. They also accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields.

Eyewitness Rami Rafiq, who lives opposite the school, described the scene as horrific, with widespread flames and charred bodies. His son fainted upon witnessing the devastation.

Video evidence circulated online revealed extensive fire damage to the school and graphic images of burned victims and critically injured survivors.

Among the dead was Mohammad Al-Kasih, head of investigations for Hamas police in northern Gaza, along with his family.

Earlier, another Israeli strike targeted a home in central Gaza City, killing four more people, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

These strikes are part of a larger Israeli offensive that has intensified in northern Gaza over the past week. In a related tragic event, an Israeli strike on a Palestinian doctor’s home killed nine of her children, with survivors critically injured.

Additionally, two Red Cross workers were killed in an airstrike on their residence in Khan Younis, underscoring the high civilian death toll.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s executive director resigned, citing concerns that planned aid distribution hubs would fail to maintain humanitarian neutrality and independence.

Since a full blockade was lifted after 11 weeks, limited aid has entered Gaza, but UN estimates indicate that daily aid deliveries need to be much higher.

Meanwhile, international discussions continue, with 20 countries meeting in Madrid to seek an end to the conflict. Calls have been made for an arms embargo on Israel if hostilities persist.

The current Israeli military campaign began after Hamas’s cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, more than 53,900 people, including at least 16,500 children, have died in Gaza, according to local health authorities.