Israeli airstrikes kill at least 46 in Gaza, including dozens in school shelter PHOTO

At least 46 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on May 26, including 31 who died in a school converted into a shelter, local health officials reported. 

The strike occurred while residents were asleep, igniting their belongings and causing severe casualties, with more than 55 wounded, Caliber.Az reports, citing Israeli media.

The Gaza Ministry of Health said the attack targeted a school in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City. Among the dead were a father and his five children. Video footage shared online showed rescuers battling fires and recovering charred remains from the rubble.

Israel’s military stated the strike hit a militant command and control centre allegedly used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad to coordinate attacks, blaming the civilian casualties on militants operating within residential areas.

In a separate strike, 15 members of one family, including five women and two children, were killed at their home, Shifa Hospital confirmed.

The renewed Israeli offensive began in March after Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas. Israel has vowed to continue the campaign until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed and until it recovers 58 hostages, a third of whom are believed to be alive, taken during the October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war.

Humanitarian crisis and aid challenges

After a 2½-month blockade of all food, medicine, and fuel into Gaza, Israel began permitting a limited flow of humanitarian aid last week. Aid organisations warn that the small amount allowed is insufficient to meet the urgent needs amid mounting famine risks.

Israel and the United States are backing a new aid distribution system, managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—a group of former humanitarian, government, and military officials. The foundation plans to establish guarded distribution points and aims to deliver aid to one million Palestinians, about half of Gaza’s population, by the end of the week.

However, U.N. agencies and major humanitarian groups have rejected the system, citing concerns over violations of humanitarian principles and the potential for forced displacement. They also dispute Israeli claims that militants systematically divert aid, noting no credible evidence supports these accusations.

The American head of the foundation, Jake Wood, resigned unexpectedly on Sunday, stating the organisation would not be able to operate independently. The foundation’s funding sources remain unclear.

Broader impact

Israel’s military campaign has devastated vast areas of Gaza, forcing nearly 90% of the population to flee their homes multiple times. The offensive has rendered entire neighbourhoods uninhabitable, with hundreds of thousands sheltering in overcrowded schools and makeshift camps.

The Gaza Health Ministry estimates that approximately 54,000 Palestinians have died during the Israeli retaliation, with more than half of the casualties being women and children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 in the October 2023 attack. Since then, more than half the hostages have been returned in ceasefire deals or rescues, while the remains of dozens more have been recovered by Israeli forces.

Israel plans to seize full control of Gaza and has proposed facilitating the voluntary migration of its two million residents—a plan widely rejected by Palestinians and much of the international community.

By Khagan Isayev