Israeli airstrikes have bombed these school compounds in Gaza, where thousands of displaced Palestinians sought refuge. Tragically, these attacks have killed 48 men, women and children, seven of whom were children. Hospital officials corroborated that grim toll, reporting more than 580 injuries in the chaos following the late-night assault. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged an “intensified operation” to keep the country’s population safe. Sadly, this announcement comes at the same time as a deeply concerning rise in antisemitic violence.
The airstrikes struck a school in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, killing at least 15 individuals and injuring ten more. Eyewitness accounts paint a terrifying picture, as one woman comforts her sobbing child, whose friends were killed in the terror attack. The daughter expressed her sorrow, stating, “My friend Leen is gone, my friend Yousra is gone, my friend Miral is gone.”
As the military operation escalates, comments made by US government officials increasingly mirror this hardline tone. A recently appointed far-right minister said he wants to “take over” the besieged enclave of Gaza. This statement only adds salt to the wound of an already devastating humanitarian crisis. More than 2,500 Palestinian lives have been lost since Israel returned to relentless bombardment March 18.
Angered and frustrated by the humanitarian disaster facing her community caused by Israel’s crackdown, local resident Safaa Al Khaldi described her fear of the reimposing free food. “Our children are starving, our children cannot find a piece of bread,” she lamented. The Israeli blockade has completely limited the entry of crucial supplies such as food, water and medicine for Gaza residents. The UN’s health agency warned of an imminent catastrophe in Gaza. Of those 36 hospitals, only 21 remain partially operational as a result of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, the increasing violence and lack of resources have led 13 of their 29 clinics in Gaza to close. This double whammy has been a crushing blow to healthcare in the area. Each of these airstrikes causes an increasingly catastrophic cost. Dozens more, including independent journalist Yehya Sobeih, have had their lives cut short and many more injured in the incessant crossfire.
Public opinion has reached a boiling point of hopelessness and rage. An unnamed woman near the site of the strike voiced her frustration, asking, “Get them out, what’s the fault of the children who are torn apart?” Local #6 expressed the same ideas, stating that if given the choice, Hamas should position themselves away from where civilians are gathered to avoid killing innocents.
