Israeli Strike on Gaza School Kills 27, Including 14 Children, 5 Women/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ At least 27 people were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a school in Gaza, amid an intensified military campaign against Hamas. Over 100 Palestinians died across Gaza Thursday, with civilians increasingly caught in the crossfire. The humanitarian crisis deepens as Israel expands operations and evacuation orders.
Israeli Airstrike on Gaza School Kills 27 People – Quick Looks
- Israeli airstrike hits Gaza school, killing at least 27, including women and children
- More than 100 Palestinians killed Thursday as Israel intensifies military campaign
- Strike targeted Hamas “command center”, Israeli military claims
- Palestinian Health Ministry reports rising death toll, dozens critically injured
- UN shelter hit a day earlier, at least 17 dead in similar strike
- Evacuations ordered across northern Gaza, amid fear of wider ground operations
- Hamas condemns school strike as a “heinous massacre”
- Over 50,000 Palestinians killed since war began, Gaza officials say
Israeli Strike on Gaza School Kills 27, Including 14 Children, 5 Women
Deep Look
At least 27 people, including 14 children and five women, were killed Thursday when an Israeli airstrike hit a school in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The school was serving as a shelter for civilians displaced by ongoing conflict. The deadly strike came amid an intensifying Israeli military campaign across the Gaza Strip that claimed the lives of over 100 people in a single day.
Health Ministry spokesperson Zaher al-Wahidi said the strike left at least 70 people injured, many of them critically, raising concerns the death toll will rise. The school attack followed a similar incident just a day earlier, when another Israeli airstrike hit a UN-run shelter, killing at least 17.
Israel’s military said the strike targeted a Hamas “command and control center” and claimed efforts were made to minimize civilian harm. However, Hamas described the attack on the school as a “heinous massacre,” accusing Israel of deliberately targeting civilians.
Elsewhere in Gaza, over 30 people were killed in nearby Shijaiyah when residential buildings were bombed. Strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis killed multiple members of the same family, including children as young as one, and a pregnant woman. Additional deaths were reported in central Gaza and Gaza City throughout the day.
The wave of airstrikes coincided with sweeping evacuation orders from the Israeli military, urging residents in parts of northern Gaza to move south or west. The United Nations estimates approximately 280,000 Palestinians have been displaced since a ceasefire with Hamas ended last month. Many are now forced to travel on foot with few belongings, with shelters overwhelmed or nonexistent.
“My wife and I have been walking for three hours covering only one kilometer,” said 72-year-old Mohammad Ermana. “I’m searching for shelters every hour now, not every day.”
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate under an Israeli blockade of food, fuel, and aid — a tactic human rights groups condemn as a war crime. The blockade, now in place for more than a month, is part of what Israeli officials describe as an effort to pressure Hamas into surrender.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts remain stalled. Hamas has stated it will only release its remaining hostages—24 of whom are believed to still be alive—in exchange for an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and a permanent ceasefire.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled plans for a “security corridor” to divide Gaza and intensify pressure on Hamas. The corridor, along with Israel’s reassertion of control over the Netzarim corridor, effectively splits Gaza and restricts civilian movement further. Netanyahu has also endorsed a U.S.-backed plan for “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from Gaza — a proposal condemned by Palestinian leaders as a violation of international law.
The conflict has already claimed more than 50,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which reports that over half of those killed have been women and children. Israel asserts that it has killed 20,000 Hamas militants but has not provided verifiable evidence.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages. Most hostages have since been released through ceasefire deals or recovered by Israeli forces.
In a related development, the Israeli military announced it would investigate a March 23 incident in which troops opened fire on ambulances in southern Gaza. The Palestine Red Crescent Society claims 15 medics and first responders were killed, and their bodies buried in a mass grave by Israeli troops. UN officials corroborated that emergency vehicles were targeted, with some suggesting survivors may have been executed. A video allegedly showing the lead-up to the incident has been submitted to the UN.
Elsewhere, an Israeli airstrike in Sidon, Lebanon, reportedly killed two people early Friday. The strike marked the first such attack on Lebanon’s third-largest city since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in November. Israel has continued targeted strikes in Lebanon, claiming to hit Hezbollah and affiliated forces.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also arrived in Hungary Thursday, despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes, including the use of starvation tactics and targeting civilians. Hungary, though a member of the ICC, has announced plans to withdraw from the court, allowing Netanyahu’s visit to proceed.
With ground operations expanding, civilian casualties rising, and international scrutiny intensifying, the conflict in Gaza shows no signs of de-escalation. Aid agencies and rights groups continue to call for immediate humanitarian access and a long-term ceasefire to prevent further loss of life.
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