Israeli air strikes on Gaza have killed over 50 people, most of them in a school sheltering displaced families, as reported by BBC. The victims, who belonged to Beit Lahia, were seeking refuge in the Fahmi al-Jargawi School as their area was under immense strikes.
According to Fahmy Awad, head of the Gaza Ministry of Health’s emergency service, the attack also wounded several people, killing a father and his five children who were confirmed to be among those dead. He also said that the school was hit three times while people were asleep, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Mahmoud Basal, Palestinian Civil Defence spokesman told AFP that the school housed hundreds of people and the strike mostly killed women and children.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have asserted that they had targeted “a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control centre there”. It accused Hamas of using the people as human shields and employing the area to plan attacks and gather intelligence on Israeli civilians and troops.
Several images have surfaced online where a large part of the school is on fire while charred remains are being recovered from the building.
The IDF has claimed to have hit over 200 targets in the last 48 hours as a part of its action against terrorist organisations.
Israel had earlier imposed an aid-blockade on Gaza triggering a humanitarian crisis in the area. According to United Nations reports, despite Israel allowing minimal aid in the area, the population is on the cusp of a famine
