Twelve Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza School, Civil Defense Reports

At least 12 Palestinians have died following an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City that was housing displaced individuals, according to the Civil Defense authority, managed by Hamas. The strike occurred on August 20, 2024, targeting the Mustafa Hafez school in the western Rimal neighborhood. Rescue teams are still working to locate people believed to be trapped under the rubble.

The Israeli military stated that the strike was aimed at a Hamas command and control center located within the school and emphasized that measures were taken to minimize civilian casualties. Earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced the recovery of six Israeli hostages’ bodies in the Khan Younis area, victims of the October 7 attacks last year, in which 251 people were kidnapped, and around 1,200 were killed.

The conflict has escalated, with Israel launching extensive air and ground operations aimed at dismantling Hamas, resulting in over 40,170 deaths in Gaza, as reported by the Hamas-run health ministry.

Video footage from the scene shows chaotic scenes with women and children fleeing the area amidst clouds of dust, and the remains of the two-story building lying in rubble. A witness, Umm Mohammed, told Reuters, “The people are gone, they're dead. They are under the rubble.”

Twelve killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school

Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal confirmed that 12 bodies had been recovered so far, noting that the school’s wing, which housed approximately 700 displaced individuals, was completely destroyed in the attack.

The IDF defended its actions, asserting that it targeted terrorists operating within the school and accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure for military purposes, a claim that Hamas has previously denied. The military further stated that it employed precise munitions and aerial surveillance to reduce the risk to civilians.

Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights Office criticized the rising number of Israeli strikes on schools used as shelters for displaced persons, pointing to the high civilian death toll. The warning came after a strike on the al-Taba’een school in Gaza City, which resulted in at least 70 deaths. The IDF responded by claiming that the school had been used as a military facility by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and identified 31 “terrorists” among the dead.

The UN has reported that since July 4, at least 21 schools serving as shelters have been targeted in airstrikes, leading to a minimum of 274 fatalities.