More than 22 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school-turned-shelter

The attack on Jabalia camp is the latest after two weeks under Israeli siege

A boy climbs through the rubble of a collapsed building following Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

At least 22 people were killed on Thursday in an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced families in Jabalia camp in northern Gaza that has been under siege for about two weeks.

The strike hit the Abu Hussein school, run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, in the camp. It sparked a fire that tore through the tents used by Palestinians sheltering in the school compound, the official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. Footage on social media showed flames spreading from tent to tent as the injured were carried out on carts.

“Most of the injured in the school attack are in critical condition, and the bodies … arrived in pieces,” Fares Afaneh, head of the ambulance services in northern Gaza, said. “There is a severe shortage of medical equipment, which means the death toll is likely to rise, as most injuries are critical, and the hospital courtyards are overcrowded with patients.”

Some of the dead and injured were taken to Kamal Adwan and Al Awda hospitals which are already struggling to provide services amid an ongoing Israeli blockade on imports. They appealed for medical supplies and fuel.

Mr Afaneh said there were not enough beds to accommodate the large number of injured people, describing the attack as a “massacre.” “The occupation continues to target everything indiscriminately, sparing neither young nor old, bombing wherever and whenever they want, ignoring all international treaties and norms, and exploiting global silence in the face of its crimes,” he said.

“We urge the relevant authorities to pressure the occupation to establish a humanitarian corridor and allow the entry of medicines and fuel,” the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Hossam Abu Safia, said in a statement. “We have not heard any response from international organisations despite our repeated appeals.”

The Ministry of Health said newborn babies were facing “a real humanitarian disaster” at the hospitals. “The neonatal unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital is facing a fuel crisis and a shortage of medicines due to the 13-day siege on the northern part of the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli army claimed the school was being used by Hamas and threatened to “continue to act decisively” against schools where it says the Palestinian group is operating from. Israel often claims the group is present in schools and other civilian institutions but falls short on providing evidence.

UNRWA USA's Hani Almadhoun said the attack was a “heartbreaking massacre”. “This is a developing story, but it underscores the brutal reality: this is about reducing the Palestinian population through bombardment, fear, and famine,” he said in a statement.

Israel has cut off the northern strip from the rest of Gaza with no food, water, medication, or aid entering since October 1. Residents said Israeli forces had effectively isolated Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya in the far north from Gaza city, blocking movement except for families following forced eviction orders.

“This is the most deceitful operation since the war began,” Esam Eyad, a resident of Jabalia camp, told The National. “If this continues, what remains of the north will be levelled, with its residents buried beneath the rubble,” he said.

Mohammed Al Balawi, who was displaced from Beit Lahia to Abu Hussein school, said his brother, nephew, and niece were among the severely injured. “I don't know what crime they committed to become victims of such a massacre, an ongoing slaughter before the eyes of the world,” he said.

“This war must end, and there needs to be an end to all this criminality. Why isn't Israel being held accountable for these crimes and the death it brings upon innocent people?”