Israeli overnight airstrikes kill 44, mostly children, in Gaza; school building also targeted
PTC Web Desk: At least 44 Palestinians, including several children, were killed in two separate overnight airstrikes conducted by the Israeli military on Gaza, according to local health and civil defense authorities. One of the strikes targeted a school building in Gaza City’s Al-Daraj neighbourhood that was serving as a shelter for displaced families.
Rescue workers reported that Monday’s early morning airstrike on the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi School resulted in the deaths of at least 20 persons, most of them children, and left over 60 injured. The school was being used as a temporary refuge by hundreds of civilians who had fled other parts of the besieged enclave.
"At least 20 persons were transported to hospitals, the majority of them children, and more than 60 were wounded in the horrific occupation massacre at the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi School," Mahmud Bassal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense, told AFP.
The previous day, Israeli air raids across Gaza reportedly claimed the lives of 22 more Palestinians and injured several, marking one of the deadliest 48-hour periods in recent weeks.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strike on the school building, asserting it was being used as a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control centre. According to the IDF, the facility had served as a planning hub for attacks against Israeli civilians and troops.
“Key terrorists were operating from within a Hamas and Islamic Jihad facility embedded in the former Faami Aljerjawi School,” the military said in a statement. It also emphasised that “numerous precautions” were taken to minimise civilian harm.
In a separate strike, the IDF claimed it hit another Hamas operational centre used for intelligence gathering and attack coordination.
The latest escalation comes as Israel intensifies its military campaign across Gaza, which began in response to the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, that killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel will maintain full military control over Gaza. Despite growing international pressure and warnings of an impending famine, Israel has only partially eased restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries.
According to Gaza's media office, Israeli forces now control around 77 percent of the territory through direct military presence, heavy bombardment, and enforced evacuations. The prolonged conflict has displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2 million residents.
Since the war began, over 53,000 persons have been killed in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from local health authorities. The humanitarian situation remains dire, with food, medical supplies, and basic necessities in critically short supply.
- With inputs from agencies
