- Both mosque and school sheltered displaced civilians in central Gaza and dead include children
GAZA: Israeli airstrikes targeted a mosque and a school, sheltering displaced civilians in central Gaza, killing at least 24 Palestinians, including children, and 93 others injured early Sunday morning.
The Gaza government’s media office confirmed the attacks, saying the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) committed two brutal massacres by bombing the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque adjacent to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah and the Ibn Rushd School in Al-Zawaida, both in the central part of the strip.
“These two heinous massacres follow a series of atrocities by the IDF, including airstrikes on 27 homes, schools, and shelters across Gaza in the past 48 hours, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of Palestinians,” the statement read.
The statement also highlighted the worsening health crisis in Gaza, with the few remaining hospitals overwhelmed by the rising number of casualties and struggling to provide adequate care.
Medical sources confirmed many of the victims were children. Rescuers described harrowing scenes, with several children’s bodies arriving at hospitals decapitated, while others were in critical condition after the airstrike on the mosque.
In a separate attack, three Palestinians were killed and several others injured when IDF bombed the Ibn Rushd school, which was housing hundreds of displaced families in Al-Zawaida.
The media office condemned the airstrikes, accusing Israel of committing war crimes and holding both Israel and the US fully responsible for the violence in Gaza.
Palestinian authorities called on the international community and global organizations to pressure Israel to halt the genocide and end the bloodshed in Gaza.
Anniversary of brutal and barbaric offense to Gaza
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Since then, more than 41,800 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, and over 96,900 others injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli assault has displaced nearly the entire population of the territory, amid a blockade that has caused severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
The state is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.