More than 50 people were killed in Israeli air and ground attacks across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to local medics and rescuers. The casualties include children, a cameraman for Al Jazeera, and personnel from Gaza’s Civil Defence agency.
The Israeli military said it had targeted sites used by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, both of which are involved in the ongoing conflict. However, the Hamas-run health ministry reported that the toll from Sunday’s strikes brings the number of Palestinian deaths to over 45,000 since the war began 14 months ago. The ministry’s figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians but have been broadly supported by international agencies like the United Nations. The Israeli government, however, disputes these figures, stating that around 20,000 “terrorists” have been killed.
Sunday’s attacks saw widespread devastation, particularly in the southern city of Khan Younis, where a UN-run school being used as a shelter for displaced families was struck. Harrowing footage from the Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz School showed bodies, including those of children, being removed from the building. Medics reported at least 13 dead at the site, while a spokeswoman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) indicated the number could be closer to 20, with many casualties being women and children.
“People were safe, staying in their homes after they prayed the dinner prayer,” said Manal Tafesh, whose brother and his children were among the dead. “They were sitting, sleeping, staying put.”
In addition to the Khan Younis school attack, further casualties were reported at another school-turned-shelter in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza, which has been under siege by Israeli forces for over two months. The UN confirmed the displacement of over 1,500 people after Israeli forces besieged the Khalil Aweida school and shelled it.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the school in Khan Younis was being used as a Hamas command centre, and that civilians were being exploited as human shields. The IDF said it conducted a “precise strike” on Hamas terrorists operating within the school.
Another deadly strike hit a Civil Defence building in Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, killing several workers, including the directors of two Civil Defence centres. One of the victims, Ahmad al-Louh, was a cameraman for Al Jazeera, which condemned the “targeted killing” of its journalist. The IDF, however, claimed Louh was a member of Islamic Jihad, without providing evidence.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has confirmed at least 137 media workers have been killed since the war began in October 2023.
