Deadly Strike on Gaza School
The Hamas-run Civil Defence organization claims that at least 12 Palestinians have been killed following an Israeli attack on a school sheltering displaced persons in Gaza City. Targeting the Mustafa Hafez school in the western Rimal area, which housed over 700 displaced people, the attack aimed at Many persons who are thought to be buried under the debris. Hence, rescue operations are in progress.
Rescue Operations and Witness Accounts
Rescue personnel are battling to free those caught under the wreckage of the two-story structure. Witness Umm Mohammed detailed the disorganized scene: “We were seated securely; we did not notice the blast. People have vanished; they have died. They lie beneath the rubble. Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal verified that the whole school wing had been hit and that rescuers had so far found the dead of twelve persons.
Israeli Military's Justification
According to the Israeli military, the attack targeted a Hamas command and control center housed within the university. “Aircraft precisely struck terrorists operating within a Hamas command and control center,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. The IDF stressed that extra information, aerial observation, and accurate weapons were among the several steps taken to minimize civilian damage.
Hamas Accusations and International Reactions
Allegations that Hamas has often rejected, the IDF accused Hamas of breaking international law by functioning inside civilian infrastructure and abusing Gaza’s civilian population. The UN Human Rights Office denounced the “increasing frequency” of Israeli strikes on schools housing displaced persons earlier this month. The UN charged the IDF with launching these attacks with “apparent disregard for the high rate of civilian deaths.”
The criticism centers on a prior bombing of Gaza City’s al-Taba’een school that claimed at least seventy Palestinians dead. According to the IDF, the operation had resulted in 31 “terrorists” murdered, and the school had been used as an “active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility”. With at least 274 deaths, the UN claimed that this incident was at least the 21st hit on a school providing shelter since July 4.
Additional Casualties and Military Actions
The Civil Defence recorded five further injuries from a hit on a house in Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza on that same day. Medical sources reported by Palestinian news agency Wafa claimed four people died in adjacent Deir al-Balah. Two people who left an underground passage and tried to install an explosive device were among the “eliminated numerous terrorists” stated by the IDF from their troops and plane operations in central Gaza.
Diplomatic Efforts and Sticking Points
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Egypt among the growing bloodshed to exert diplomatic pressure for a truce and an agreement on hostage release between Israel and Hamas. Though the circumstances have been less hopeful, there remains optimism for a breakthrough the following week. Following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken said Israel had approved a US suggestion to heal divisions between the warring sides.
But Hamas charged the US of “acquiescing” to what it said of Netanyahu’s “new conditions.” The organization objected to President Joe Biden’s assertion that it seemed to be “backing away” from an agreement. One primary source of conflict is Netanyahu’s insistence on keeping Israeli soldiers in the Philadelphi corridor, a small area bordering Gaza’s border with Egypt. While Netanyahu contends this action is required to stop smuggling as Hamas rearms itself, Hamas sees it as a continuation of Israeli occupation and a barrier to peace.
