In a tragic escalation of violence, at least 38 people—many of them women and children—were killed in Israeli airstrikes that targeted a school sheltering displaced families and a bustling market in Gaza City on Wednesday, according to Palestinian health officials.
The first strike hit Karama School in Tuffah, a northern suburb of Gaza City, killing at least 15 people. The school had been converted into a shelter for families fleeing violence. Just hours later, another strike near a busy market and restaurant in the heart of the city killed at least 23 more, as civilians gathered to buy food amidst the chaos.
Witnesses described scenes of utter devastation. Injured men were carried away on carts and in pickup trucks. Ambulances navigated shattered streets. One heartbreaking image circulating online appeared to show a family of three—mother, father, and son—lying lifeless in the street, the child still wearing a pink backpack. Reuters has not independently verified the image, but it matches eyewitness accounts of the Tuffah neighborhood.
There was no immediate response from the Israeli military regarding the latest strikes. However, on Tuesday, Israeli forces also bombed another school in the Bureij refugee camp, killing at least 33 more people. The military claimed the compound was being used as a command center by Hamas militants.
Survivors of the Bureij strike combed through rubble on Wednesday, desperately searching for food and belongings. “This was an earthquake,” said local resident Ali Al-Shaqra. “They hit a school filled with children. We can’t even find the bag of rice we had.” He added that the school had been home to over 300 families.
In Rafah, near Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, Israeli forces reportedly continued demolishing homes and buildings. Hamas and local sources said entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble as part of Israel’s expanding military campaign.
The latest strikes have also claimed the lives of two journalists, Nour Abdu and Yehya Sbeih, bringing the total number of Palestinian journalists killed in the conflict to 214, according to Gaza’s media office.
Israel resumed its offensive in March following the collapse of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Since then, humanitarian aid has been heavily restricted, prompting dire warnings from the UN about looming famine for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced plans to further expand operations in Gaza. Reports suggest the Israeli government may attempt to take full control of the strip and restrict aid even further, possibly waiting until after U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to the region.
Despite rising international pressure, Hamas has rejected any temporary truce in exchange for short-term humanitarian aid. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim declared the group would only accept a full ceasefire, stating that “partial deals won’t stop the starvation, genocide, or occupation.”
The war, which began in October 2023 when Hamas militants launched a deadly attack on southern Israel, has now taken the lives of over 52,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Nearly two years in, Gaza has become a landscape of ruins, mourning, and unanswered cries for peace.
