Dozens Killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Schools and Homes

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 40 people in Gaza over the past two days. Many of those killed were women, children, and people seeking shelter in schools.

One of the attacks hit the Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City. The school was sheltering families who had fled their homes. The strike caused fires that burned two classrooms. At least 20 people died there, including children. Witnesses said the scene was full of flames and badly burned bodies.

The Israeli military said the school was being used as a command center by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. They said the strike was aimed at stopping planned attacks.

In another strike, four people died when a house in central Gaza City was hit.

A separate attack in Jabalia killed journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several of his family members. This brings the total number of journalists killed in the war to 220.

In Nuseirat, an airstrike killed Ashraf Abu Nar, a top rescue official, and his wife.

A well-known 11-year-old girl named Yaqeen Hammad, who was popular on social media, was also killed in the strikes.

On Friday, a doctor in Gaza lost nine of her ten children in a strike. Her husband was badly hurt. The children were between a few months and 12 years old. The Israeli army says they are reviewing what happened.

The Red Cross said two of its staff were also killed when a house in Khan Younis was hit. The group says the death toll in Gaza is now “intolerable” and called for a ceasefire.

Israel says it is trying to destroy Hamas and free hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attack, where Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

Since then, more than 53,900 Palestinians have died, including at least 16,500 children, according to Gaza health officials.

Israel has taken control of about 77% of Gaza through ground troops and airstrikes.

There is also a major food crisis in Gaza. Israel blocked aid for 11 weeks. Now, only a small number of aid trucks are allowed in. The UN says 600 trucks a day are needed, but only about 100 are entering.

World leaders met in Madrid to discuss ending the war. Spain's foreign minister said there should be an arms embargo on Israel if it does not stop the attacks.

The UN’s Secretary-General said Palestinians in Gaza are facing one of the worst parts of the war yet.