The ongoing conflict in Gaza has once again escalated, with recent Israeli airstrikes targeting schools and refugee camps, resulting in significant casualties and damage. On July 7, Hamas reported that four people were killed in an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced individuals, including Ihab al-Ghussein, deputy labor minister. The Israeli army claimed the school was a hideout for terrorists and a weapons manufacturing factory.
In another tragic incident, 16 people were killed on Saturday in an Israeli strike on a UN-run school in the Nousseirat camp. The Hamas government's Ministry of Health condemned the attack as a 'heinous massacre,' reporting 50 injuries and transferring the wounded to Al Aqsa martyrs' hospital. The Israeli army stated that the location was used for terrorist activities.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported additional casualties from Israeli air raids in the Gaza Strip, including six deaths in Zawaida and seven injuries in Khan Yunis and Nuseirat. The ongoing conflict has left the Gaza Strip's residents in a dire situation, with over 38,000 deaths and 87,000 injuries since October 7, according to the local Ministry of Health.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, highlighted the unprecedented damage to its infrastructure, with nearly 190 installations affected since the war began. Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for UNRWA, denounced the strikes on UN facilities as a blatant disregard for international humanitarian law, noting that 194 UNRWA employees have been killed.
The war, now in its tenth month, has caused widespread displacement among Gaza's 2.4 million residents, many of whom have sought refuge in UN-run schools. Diplomatic efforts towards a ceasefire are being revived as the conflict continues to take a heavy toll on civilians.
