Breaking: Gaza Rescuers Report 18 Dead in Israeli Strike on School

An Israeli airstrike on a school in central Gaza, which was sheltering displaced Palestinians, resulted in the deaths of 18 people, including United Nations staff, according to rescue officials. The Israeli military, however, stated that the target was a Hamas control center within the Al-Jawni School in Nuseirat. This location had been bombed multiple times throughout the 11-month Gaza war.

The strike flattened parts of the U.N.-run school, leaving behind only debris. Gaza’s Civil Defense spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal, confirmed on Telegram that the attack killed 18 civilians, including two U.N. staff members, children, and women, while more than 18 others were injured. UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, later announced that six of its staff members had died in the air raid, making it the highest casualty event for their team during a single incident.

“Among the dead were the shelter manager and team members providing aid to displaced people,” UNRWA said. They stressed that schools and other civilian facilities must be protected and should never be targeted.

Gaza, where 2.4 million people live, has seen numerous schools repurposed as shelters for displaced families. In recent months, Israeli forces have attacked several of these schools, claiming that militants were hiding among the civilians—allegations Hamas denies. The Israeli military said they carried out a “precise strike” on a Hamas command center but mentioned taking steps to limit civilian harm.

Survivors described the horrific aftermath, recounting the chaos as they sifted through rubble to recover bodies and belongings. One man, visibly shaken, held a bag containing human remains and said, “We’ve been living through hell for 340 days… this is worse than anything we could imagine.”

Gaza is frequently cited as one of the most dangerous places for humanitarian workers. UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini noted that at least 220 agency staff had been killed in the Gaza conflict, calling the repeated loss of life “senseless.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence, calling the situation in Gaza “totally unacceptable.” In response, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador, Danny Danon, accused Guterres of misrepresenting the facts, defending Israel’s actions as part of a “just war” and blaming Hamas for using civilians as human shields. Danon rejected calls for a ceasefire, advocating instead for the release of hostages and the elimination of Hamas.

Elsewhere in Gaza, further Israeli strikes resulted in deaths in Jabalia and Gaza City. Negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have yet to achieve a truce, with both Israel and Hamas showing no signs of softening their positions.

The ongoing conflict, which began after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has so far claimed over 41,000 lives in Gaza, primarily women and children, while Israel has reported the loss of more than 1,200 lives. Additionally, the Israeli military reported two more deaths after a helicopter crashed during a rescue mission in Gaza, bringing the total number of Israeli military casualties in the current campaign to 344 since the ground offensive began on October 27.