At least 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured early Monday morning in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi School in Al-Daraj neighbourhood, central Gaza City. The school was serving as a shelter for displaced families fleeing war-ravaged areas.
According to eyewitnesses, the strike directly hit the schoolyard, where makeshift tents were crowded with families who had escaped from other devastated regions.
The bombing ignited massive fires among the tents, producing horrific scenes of charred bodies and burning human remains, including a large number of women and children.
Residents of the neighbourhood shared footage capturing moments of panic and screams, as survivors scrambled to pull the wounded from under the rubble or attempted to extinguish the flames using primitive tools amid the near-total collapse of emergency and firefighting services.
This attack comes amid an ongoing campaign of genocide carried out by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, resulting in the death or injury of more than 176,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children. More than 11,000 people remain missing, many believed to be trapped under rubble or buried in inaccessible locations.
Targeting schools—especially those serving as civilian shelters—is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions. The scale, frequency, and widespread nature of these attacks strongly indicate genocidal intent, particularly given the repeated and direct use of lethal force against besieged civilians and the deliberate deprivation of their basic needs.
As Israel continues its military campaign, backed by political and diplomatic cover from some international powers, the situation in Gaza grows increasingly dire. Observers warn that what is unfolding is not merely a humanitarian catastrophe but an ongoing crime that threatens the very foundation of international legal order if left unpunished.
The international community’s silence—or mere verbal condemnation—only emboldens further violations and entrenches the rule of brute force over international law. This moment demands urgent global action to end the war, ensure accountability for crimes against civilians, and restore justice to the victims of genocide in Gaza.
