Tragic Toll: Israel Strikes Schools in Latest Airstrikes, Claiming Lives of 30 Palestinians

Monday, August 05, 2024  Read time2 min

SAEDNEWS: Israel’s occupation forces have struck two school compounds in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 30 displaced Palestinians, according to the territory’s civil defense agency.

Tragic Toll: Israel Strikes Schools in Latest Airstrikes, Claiming Lives of 30 Palestinians

According to SAEDNEWS, On Sunday, the regime's airstrikes targeted the al-Nasr and Hassan Salama schools in Gaza City. These institutions were serving as shelters for displaced families seeking safety from ongoing violence.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defense, stated that the attacks represent a “massacre in every sense of the word,” as these school compounds were housing vulnerable civilians fleeing from conflict. He described the aftermath as “difficult and tragic,” highlighting that children make up a staggering 80 percent of those killed and injured.

Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for Palestine Red Crescent, shared with Al Jazeera that their ambulance teams were able to evacuate some of the injured, but many remain trapped beneath the rubble. She recounted witnessing “very horrific scenes,” with desperate mothers searching for their children among the debris.

“This attack further underscores the harsh reality that there is no safe haven in Gaza,” Farsakh noted. “These two schools were overcrowded with displaced civilians who had already been forced to evacuate multiple times, only to face yet another traumatic displacement due to this assault.”

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas also condemned these airstrikes, emphasizing that both schools were overflowing with displaced individuals. They accused the Israeli regime of “deliberately committing massacres against civilians in cold blood.”

Hamas called on the international community, as well as Arab and Islamic nations, to take action against these crimes and hold accountable those responsible for the violence.

Since the escalation of military actions against Gaza began in October, it has been reported that at least 172 centers housing displaced people—of which 152 were schools—have been attacked. Gaza’s government media office estimates that over 1,040 individuals have lost their lives in assaults on educational institutions, framing these atrocities as part of ongoing violations against the Palestinian population.

The media office also stated that both Israel and the United States share accountability for the relentless violence against civilians and the displaced. According to the latest figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, nearly 39,600 Palestinians have been killed across the territory, with a majority being women and children.