On July 11, 2025, at least five people were reported killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
The strike hit the Halima Al-Saadia School in Jabalia Al-Nazla, which had been converted into a shelter for internally displaced persons amid ongoing hostilities in the region.
Several others were reported injured in the attack, marking the latest in a series of strikes on civilian shelters in Gaza amid the protracted conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian groups.
The Israeli military has not immediately commented on this specific incident.
However, it has consistently maintained that its operations in Gaza target Hamas militants and infrastructure, often accusing Hamas of using civilian buildings, including schools and hospitals, as military bases.
These claims are frequently denied by Palestinian authorities and international observers, who highlight the devastating impact of such strikes on civilians seeking refuge.
This recent strike is part of a broader pattern of Israeli attacks on shelters housing displaced Palestinians.
Since the conflict escalated in late 2023, numerous schools and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facilities have been hit, causing significant civilian casualties.
For example, in September 2024, an Israeli strike on the Zeitoun School in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, killed at least 22 Palestinians, including 13 children and six women.
The school was one of many that have been repeatedly targeted despite being designated as shelters.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire.
With more than two million residents, nearly all of whom have been displaced at least once during the conflict, many have sought refuge in schools and other public buildings.
The repeated targeting of these shelters has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, leaving thousands dead and many more injured.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, since the conflict began, over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority civilians, with tens of thousands more wounded.
The destruction of shelters like the Halima Al-Saadia School underscores the challenges faced by displaced Palestinians.
These schools often serve as the last refuge for families uprooted by ongoing Israeli military operations.
The attacks cause immediate loss of life.
They also destroy critical infrastructure, including medical facilities within these shelters, further limiting access to essential services for survivors.
International organizations have repeatedly condemned the attacks on civilian shelters.
The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have documented numerous instances where shelters, including UNRWA schools, have been struck despite the provision of GPS coordinates to Israeli forces to prevent such incidents.
The repeated bombings have sparked international outrage and calls for accountability and protection of civilians under international law.
Eyewitness accounts from survivors and local residents paint a grim picture of the aftermath of these strikes.
In the wake of the recent attack on the school shelter in Gaza City, survivors described scenes of devastation – charred buildings, scattered personal belongings, and bloodstains marking the ground.
Children wandered through the rubble, and mourners gathered at local hospitals to grieve the dead.
Such images highlight the human cost of the conflict and the vulnerability of displaced populations caught in the crossfire.
The broader context of these attacks is the ongoing Israeli military campaign against Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, which has intensified over the past 22 months.
Israeli forces have expanded operations in northern Gaza, targeting what they describe as militant strongholds.
The conflict has led to widespread displacement, with nearly one million Palestinians forced into overcrowded and unsafe conditions, often in areas reduced to rubble and lacking basic services.
In summary, the recent Israeli strike on the Halima Al-Saadia School in northern Gaza, killing at least five displaced persons, is a tragic continuation of a pattern of attacks on civilian shelters in the Gaza Strip.
These strikes have resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries, predominantly among civilians, and have deepened the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Despite international condemnation and calls for the protection of civilians, the conflict shows no signs of abating, leaving displaced Palestinians increasingly vulnerable to violence and deprivation.
