Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza Mosque and School Shelters
At least 24 people have been killed and 93 injured after Israeli airstrikes struck a mosque and a school used as shelters for displaced Palestinians in central Gaza. The attacks hit near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, targeting Shuhada al-Aqsa Mosque and Ibn Rushd School, both crowded with civilians fleeing the conflict.
Israel Claims Targeted Hamas Positions, Human Rights Outcry Ensues
The Israeli military insists the strikes were “precise” attacks on Hamas terrorists allegedly using the mosque and school as command centres. These claims have yet to be independently verified.
Human rights groups have condemned the bombardment of civilian sites, slamming it as a violation of international law. Schools and places of worship serving as refuges should be off-limits in war, they argue.
Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis Worsens as Violence Grinds On
Thousands in Gaza are trapped, forced to seek safety in overcrowded hospitals, mosques, and schools. The Gaza health ministry reports nearly 42,000 Palestinians killed since the conflict erupted in October 2023. Injuries run into the thousands, while food, water, and medical supplies dwindle amid the ongoing siege.
The deadly strikes come as Israel-Hamas conflict marks almost a year since Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 and took around 250 hostages. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has since caused high civilian casualties, with no ceasefire in sight.
Global Calls for Ceasefire Grow Louder
International voices demand an end to the bloodshed and protection for civilians sheltering in vulnerable locations. Yet fighting continues unabated, deepening Gaza’s worsening humanitarian disaster.
