A school in Gaza, repurposed as a shelter for displaced Palestinians, has been struck amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The attack occurred while residents were asleep, witnesses told BBC Arabic.
“We were sleeping peacefully, then suddenly we woke up to the sound of a very powerful explosion,” said Abu, a displaced man who had been staying at the school.
Mahmoud, another resident, described the chaos: “Stones and shrapnel were flying, the school’s walls fell on our heads.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated on social media that Hamas “systematically violates international law” and vowed to “act with force and determination against the terrorist organizations.”
Pope Francis condemned the Israeli attacks on Gaza for the second consecutive day, expressing pain at the “machine-gunning of children, the bombing of schools and hospitals.”
The Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza reported damage to its generators and claimed the Israeli army was targeting its fuel tank. World Health Organization (WHO) head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an immediate ceasefire near the hospital to protect patients and health workers.
Hospital director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya stated that Israeli forces were treating the hospital “as if we were a military installation” and warned that relocating operations would jeopardize patients.
Palestinian groups involved in the fighting told the BBC that a ceasefire deal is “closer than ever.” The 14-month conflict has resulted in over 45,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
