Since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted numerous airstrikes on more than 200 educational facilities, including universities, in the Gaza Strip as part of its military operations in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. The IDF claims such airstrikes are the result of the placement of military infrastructure and rocket launching from civilian areas, including schools.

Motivation

Hamas has been accused by NATO, the UN, EU, US, and Israel of launching rockets and positioning military-related infrastructure in civilian facilities, such as schools, as a tactic. The UNRWA has discovered rockets placed in their Gaza schools twice.[1][2][3] During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the IDF claimed to provide proof of Hamas rockets launched next to schools.[4][5] Since the Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants casualties,[6] it is unknown how many of each were killed in the airstrikes.

Impact

The Gaza Education Ministry stated that 4,037 students and 209 educational staff were killed, 7,259 students and 619 teachers were wounded, and 352 schools were damaged between 7 October and 26 December.[7] The UN stated 90 percent of school buildings in Gaza were being used for shelter.[8]

Al-Maghazi

On 17 October 2023, an airstrike conducted by the IDF struck a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) school in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.[9][10][11] The UNRWA reported six people were killed by the airstrike and dozens more were injured, including UNRWA staff.[11][12][13][14] The organization also claims that at least 4,000 people had taken refuge in the school since the start of the Israel-Hamas War.[9]

At least five people were killed in an airstrike on the Maghazi Secondary Girls School on 27 December.[15]

Osama bin Zaid

On 3 November 2023, an air strike by the Israel Defense Forces bombed Osama bin Zaid school in the Al-Saftawi area, located in the northern Gaza Strip, a school belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 20 people were killed in the airstrike and dozens of other civilians were injured, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.[16] The Ministry of Health and UNRWA said that at least 1,000 people have taken refuge in school since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas.[17][18][19]

Al-Fakhoora

External videos
video icon Gazan child speaks of having to carry decapitated body after Israeli strike on Jabalia on 4 November (via The Irish Times)

On 4 November, a UNRWA spokeswoman confirmed reports that Israel had conducted another airstrike against a UN-run school in the Jabalia refugee camp.[20][21] According to the Gaza health ministry, the attack on the Al-Fakhoura school killed fifteen and wounded dozens more.[20] Reuters reported having obtained a video of a boy crying in despair: "I was standing here when three bombings happened, I carried a body and another decapitated body with my own hands. God will take my vengeance."[20] According to UNRWA, at least one strike hit the schoolyard, where displaced families had set up their tents.[20] In response to the strike, Al Jazeera remarked Israel was "trying to eliminate all sources of survival for the civilian population to force the evacuation to the southern part of Gaza."[22]

A second airstrike on the school occurred in the early hours of the morning on 18 November. Journalists on the scene reported dead bodies everywhere, suggesting the strike may have been an Israeli message to civilians to flee to the southern Gaza Strip.[23] The second strike killed at least 50 people.[24] A video clip surfacing following what has been described as a "massacre" depicts a man walking through several rooms where dozens of corpses can be seen, and distress can be heard throughout the school.[25]

Al-Buraq

On 9 November 2023, an Israeli airstrike bombed Al-Buraq school on Lababidi Street in the Al-Nasr neighbourhood, north of Gaza City, which was being used by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNRWA) as a shelter. The people took shelter in the school were ones that their homes were destroyed.[26] At least 50 people were killed in the attack, with multiple injuries reported.[27] The Israeli missile fell on the school in the morning when thousands of people were sheltering inside it.[28][29] The attack led to the death of at least 50 people and injuries. Among the dead were also children. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that dozens of others were injured.[29][30][31] The IDF claimed that Ahmed Siam, a Hamas commander who they alleged “held hostage approximately 1,000 Gazan residents at Rantisi Hospital," was killed in the strike along with other Hamas operatives.[32][33]

Al-Falah

On 17 November 2023, an Israeli airstrike bombed Al-Falah School in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood of the city, which was being used by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNRWA) as a shelter. At least 20 people were killed in the attack, with multiple injuries reported.[34][35] The Israeli missile fell on Al-Falah School in the morning, when thousands of people were sheltering in it.[36][37] Due to the communications blackout in the Gaza Strip at the time, rescue teams were not aware of the strike on the school until the following day.[38]

Abu Hussein

On 23 November 2023, an Israeli airstrike bombed the Abu Hussein School in Jabalia camp, which was being used by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNRWA) as a shelter. At least 27 people were killed in the attack, with multiple injuries reported.[39] The Israeli missile fell on Abu Hussein School in the morning when thousands of people were sheltering inside of it.[40] The attack led to the death of at least 27 people and injuries. Among the dead were also children. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that about 100 other people were injured in the attack.[41][42]

Holy Family

On 3 December, the Israeli Air Force bombed the Holy Family school in Gaza City.[43]

Haifa

On 15 December 2023, an Israeli airstrike struck the Haifa School in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, which was being used by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNRWA) as a shelter. At least 20 people were killed in the attack, with multiple injuries reported. The aerial bombardment resulted in the death of Al Jazeera photographer Samer Abu Daqqa, and the injury of Wael Al-Dahdouh, director of Al Jazeera in Gaza.[44][45]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "UNRWA condemns placement of rockets, for a second time, in one of its schools". 22 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Israel says these photos show how Hamas places weapons in and near U.N. facilities in Gaza, including schools – CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 8 November 2023. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  3. ↑ unwatch (7 April 2015). "UN admits Palestinians fired rockets from UNRWA schools". UN Watch. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "WATCH: IDF provides proof of Hamas rockets launched near schools, mosque". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 23 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "i24NEWS". www.i24news.tv. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "What is Gaza's Ministry of Health and how does it calculate the war's death toll?". AP News. 26 October 2023. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "More than 4,000 students killed in Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "352 schools damaged across the Gaza Strip". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  9. 1 2 Lazzarini, Philippe (17 October 2023). "Gaza: UNRWA school sheltering displaced families is hit". United Nations & United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  10. ↑ عاجل وكالة الأونروا: مقتل 6 على الأقل في ضربة إسرائيلية لمدرسة تابعة لنا في مخيم المغازي للاجئين في غزة (Post on 𝕏). 𝕏 (in Arabic). Al Jazeera. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  11. 1 2 "At least 6 people killed in Israeli air strike on UNRWA school in Gaza". Reuters. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Magid, Jacob (17 October 2023). "'They had nowhere else to go': UN says Israeli strike on school in Gaza kills 6". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Gaza: UNRWA School Sheltering Displaced Families is Hit". United Nations. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "Israel-Gaza conflict: Deepening concern for civilians, as UN school is hit | The United Nations Office at Geneva". www.ungeneva.org. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Several killed in Israeli attack on central Gaza school". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Breaking The News". www.breakingthenews.net. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "Blinken in Jordan seeking to contain Hamas-Israel war". france24. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "Israel ramps up attacks in Gaza, striking schools, hospitals and mosques". aljazeera. 4 November 2023. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "Dozens killed, wounded as Israel bombs school housing displaced people in northern Gaza". aa. 4 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Lewis, Simon; Al-Khalidi, Suleiman (4 November 2023). "Palestinians say Israeli strike hits U.N.-run school as Blinken meets Arab leaders". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  21. ↑ Hu, Caitlin (18 November 2023). "Video shows dozens of bodies after alleged attack at UN-run school in Gaza". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  22. ↑ Abu Azzoum, Tareq. "Israel pounds Jabalia refugee camp – again". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  23. ↑ "Dozens killed as Israeli forces attack two schools in northern Gaza". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  24. ↑ "Hamas Health Ministry Says More Than 80 Dead In Strikes On Refugee Camp". Barron's. Agence France Presse. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  25. ↑ "تقديرات بسقوط 200 شهيد.. مجزرة جديدة في مدرسة الفاخورة بغزة". Aljazeera. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  26. ↑ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Pamuk, Humeyra; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Pamuk, Humeyra (10 November 2023). "US voices concern over killing of Palestinians as Gaza death toll tops 11,000". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  27. ↑ "Civil defense teams recover bodies of +50 people murdered by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza". Wafa. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  28. ↑ "Palestinians say deadly strikes hit Gaza hospitals, school". France 24. 11 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  29. 1 2 "At least 25 people killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza City school". Al Jazeera English. 10 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  30. ↑ "About 50 bodies retrieved from Al-Buraq School in Gaza after missile, artillery strikes". Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International. 10 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  31. ↑ "Gaza's Al-Buraq school takes hit as Israel moves to root out Hamas, 50 killed". WION. 10 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  32. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  33. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  34. ↑ "Casualties mount in attack on Gaza school". thepeninsulaqatar. 17 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  35. ↑ "Scores of Palestinians dead, wounded from Israeli bombing of Gaza school sheltering displaced people". aa. 17 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  36. ↑ "Dozens of Palestinian civilians dead after Israel hits Gaza school sheltering displaced people". anews. 17 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  37. ↑ "Israeli strike hits school sheltering thousands". dawn. 17 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  38. ↑ Mahmoud, Hani. "Death toll from Israeli attack on UN school expected to rise: AJ correspondent". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  39. ↑ "Hamas says 30 killed in Israeli attack on UN school ahead of Gaza truce". aljazeera. 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  40. ↑ "Deadly Strike on Abu Hussein UN School in Gaza: 27 Reported Killed". pakistaniindex. 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  41. ↑ "30 killed, 100 injured in Israeli strike on UN-run school in Gaza". aa. 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  42. ↑ Bayat, Saboor (23 November 2023). "Catastrophic Airstrike on Gaza School Leaves At Least 30 Dead, 100 Injured". BNN Breaking. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  43. ↑ "Israel strikes Catholic Church's Holy Family school". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  44. ↑ "Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh injured in Israeli drone strike on Khan Younis school". newarab. 15 December 2023. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  45. ↑ "Al Jazeera journalist wounded in Israeli attack on Gaza". aa. 15 December 2023. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
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