Image Credit: Cuba Si
Israeli airstrikes have targeted the Hassan Salama and Nassr schools in Gaza, resulting in significant casualties, particularly among children. The strikes, which occurred on Sunday, devastated schools housing displaced civilians. Abdullah Akila, a witness, told Al Jazeera that the bombings tore children to pieces. He described the scene, saying, “We were just sitting down when a bomb fell here, and another hit the school next door. We have been retrieving the remains of children for the past hour. This is so unfair. How long will we remain like this? We are tired… enough!”
According to the Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza, 80 percent of those killed and injured in the strikes were children. An Al Jazeera correspondent reported from Deir el-Balah that the schools, used as shelters by displaced Palestinians, were severely damaged. The attacks occurred without prior warning, exacerbating the situation for those inside. Many of the buildings used as shelters in Gaza are schools, among the few large spaces available to house significant numbers of people.
The bombings have been unpredictable, causing severe casualties and increasing trauma among the already displaced population. Many individuals have been forced to relocate multiple times within the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Sunday’s attacks followed the bombing of another school on Saturday by the Israeli army. Following the recent strikes, at least 15 people were killed in Israeli air raids on the Hamama school in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, which also sheltered displaced Palestinians. These consecutive bombings have intensified the dire situation for Gaza’s displaced population, raising concerns about the targeting of evacuation centers and the lack of prior warnings.