26 Killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Mosque and School
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reports that 26 individuals have lost their lives due to Israeli airstrikes targeting a mosque and a school accommodating displaced Palestinians in the central region of Gaza.
In the early hours of Sunday, strikes struck Ibn Rushd school and Al-Aqsa Martyrs mosque in Deir al-Balah, resulting in numerous injuries, according to the ministry. The Israeli military stated that the assaults aimed at Hamas militants located within “command and control” centers established at these sites.
In northern Gaza, Israeli forces enforced a blockade around Jabalia in response to Hamas’s alleged efforts to reconstruct. The military also announced new potential evacuation zones in the north and reopened routes leading to a designated humanitarian area.
Following the central Gaza strikes, verified video footage shows severe devastation, with bodies and blood visible among the rubble of the mosque, while the school appeared engulfed in flames, with rescue operations ongoing. Earlier reports indicated that 21 individuals were killed, with many more injured in the attack on the mosque.
The airstrikes occurred nearly one year after the Hamas assaults on Israel on October 7, 2022, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and the abduction of 251 individuals. Since that event, the Palestinian health ministry claims that 41,870 Palestinians have died and over 97,000 have been injured in Gaza, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants.
Reports from the United Nations, using these health ministry figures, note that 187 individuals were killed in Gaza from September 30 to October 4 alone. In response to the airstrikes, Hamas condemned Israel for targeting civilian infrastructure, leading to numerous casualties.
Conversely, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that measures were taken to minimize civilian harm prior to the attacks, including deploying precision weaponry and conducting aerial surveillance. The IDF accused Hamas of utilizing civilian entities and populations as shields for their military operations, a claim denied by Hamas.
As military operations continued, the IDF focused on Jabalia, aligning their attacks with a series of strikes on various military targets. The IDF issued a warning, categorizing northern Gaza as a perilous combat zone and providing a newly updated evacuation map. Despite expanding the humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, it remains smaller than it was in early July.
It is pertinent to note that both the mosque and school affected on Sunday were situated within this humanitarian zone, and the IDF announced the reopening of two evacuation routes from the north to facilitate access to safer areas. The complexities are heightened by restrictions preventing independent international media access to Gaza, complicating efforts to verify the on-ground situation.
