At least 54 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes overnight. The strikes included a hit on Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City. This school was sheltering displaced families from Beit Lahia. The attack ignited fires in classrooms used as makeshift living quarters. Image: Al Jazeera
(The Post News)- There were two catastrophic air strikes by Israel. At least 54 Palestinians have been killed overnight. One strike hit a school where displaced families were seeking shelter in central Gaza. This information is according to hospital officials and witnesses.
The bombing of Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City caused fires. Hundreds of civilians had sought refuge in it from the besieged town of Beit Lahia. The fires blazed through classrooms now used as makeshift homes. Twenty charred bodies, some of children, were pulled from the rubble, Gaza’s Civil Defence reported.
There were flames everywhere. “I have seen bodies. They were burned on the ground,” Rami Rafiq, a local resident who lives opposite the school, was quoted as saying. “My son fainted after seeing the horrific scene.”
Video footage of the aftermath showed smoldering classrooms and burnt victims. Among those killed, according to local sources, was Mohammad Al-Kasih, a senior Hamas police investigator, and his wife and children.
The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the attack. It said it had struck what it described as a “Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control center.” It accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, which the group denies.
In a separate strike on a home in the northern Gaza town of Jabalia, a strike killed 19 people. This is according to Dr. Fadel el-Naim, director of al-Ahli Hospital. The Israeli military had no comment on the target of that attack.
They are part of a rising number of incidents in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF says it has targeted over 200 sites in the past two days. Nine of Palestinian doctor Alaa al-Najjar’s children were murdered in their house in a further Israeli air strike on Friday.
Meanwhile, humanitarian concerns continue to grow. The International Committee of the Red Cross reported an incident in Khan Younis on Saturday. Two of its staff were killed. “This indicates the unacceptable number of civilian casualties in Gaza,” the organization stated. They reiterated their call for an immediate ceasefire.
The humanitarian crisis is deepening. The UN estimates Gaza needs up to 600 aid trucks per day. However, only 388 have entered since Monday, according to Israeli officials. Rachel Cummings, Save the Children’s humanitarian director in Gaza, described the situation as “desperate and dire.” Children are scavenging for food and water in the rubble.
“This is a very active and complex war. Bombs are dropping on children every day,” she said. “We need a strong ceasefire in Gaza, and we need humanitarian aid to get in.”
Spain hosted an emergency summit Sunday with foreign ministers of 20 European and Arab nations to seek a resolution. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares urged the international community to discuss an arms embargo on Israel. This discussion should occur if Israel does not halt the offensive.
Since the beginning of Israel’s military action after the Hamas-led cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, around 1,200 Israelis died. Over 200 hostages were taken. At least 53,939 Palestinians have been killed, including over 16,500 children, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Gaza’s Government Media Office puts the total death toll at over 61,700, with thousands more believed trapped under rubble.
Israel has not released any data on Palestinian casualties.
Meanwhile, new satellite images reveal the transformation of Gaza City into a massive displacement camp. Tents are pitched on roads, parks, and schools.
As deaths continue to rise, calls for an immediate ceasefire become more urgent. Appeals for humanitarian access grow more desperate. The lives of thousands more hang in the balance.
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