Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza UN School, Killing 34 | Conflict Escalates

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza UN school

Israeli airstrikes hit UN school and two homes in Gaza, killing at least 34

Recent Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, including an attack on the Al-Jaouni Preparatory School for Boys, have resulted in significant civilian casualties, with at least 34 deaths reported, including women and children. The strikes are part of ongoing military operations that have led to over 41,000 Palestinian deaths since the conflict escalated following a surprise Hamas assault in October, which caused 1,200 Israeli fatalities.

The situation has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where many families are sheltering in schools due to the violence. International reactions include condemnation from U.S. officials regarding the death of a Turkish-American activist during protests, and ongoing discussions between the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt aim to establish a cease-fire. The conflict has also seen Israeli military actions in the West Bank and southern Lebanon, raising concerns about further escalation.

Key Concepts

• Israeli airstrikes on a UN school in Gaza resulted in the deaths of at least 34 individuals, including women and children.
• The Israeli military claimed the strikes targeted Hamas militants allegedly planning an attack from within the school.
• Over half of the schools in Gaza housing displaced individuals have been affected by attacks, according to a July survey.
• The ongoing conflict began with a surprise Hamas assault on southern Israel in October, leading to significant casualties on both sides.
• Israeli military operations have resulted in over 41,000 Palestinian deaths, primarily among women and children, amid claims of many militants among the casualties.
• The U.S. Secretary of State condemned the Israeli military’s actions following the death of a Turkish-American activist during a protest.
• The Pentagon urged a review of Israel’s rules of engagement after the incident involving the activist.
• The U.S. is working with Qatar and Egypt to finalize a cease-fire agreement to end the conflict in Gaza.
• British officials emphasized the need for a two-state solution and that Hamas should not govern Gaza in the future.
• The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to escalate as families seek refuge in schools amid ongoing military offensives.

Israeli airstrikes last night and into Wednesday (September 11) hit a UN school in Gaza that houses displaced Palestinian families, as well as two homes, killing at least 34 people, including 19 women and children, according to authorities.

On Wednesday afternoon, the UN Al-Jaouni Preparatory School for Boys in the Nusserat refugee camp in central Gaza was attacked, killing 14 people and injuring at least 18. The Israeli military said its intention was to strike Hamas militants who planned to launch an attack from inside the school.

One of the children killed was the daughter of one of its members, Momin Selmi, the Gaza Civil Defense Agency said in a statement. The agency is responsible for rescuing the wounded and recovering bodies after attacks.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians who have been forced to leave their homes due to Israeli military offensives and evacuation orders have been living in schools in Gaza. Al-Jaouni School is one of many schools run by the UN Palestinian Agency in Gaza and has been hit several times during the Gaza war, which is now in its 12th month.

Israel frequently bombs schools, saying they are used by Hamas militants. Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties in Israeli attacks, saying its militants are based in densely populated residential areas and operate there.

More than 90 percent of school buildings in Gaza were severely or partially damaged in attacks, and more than half of schools housing displaced people were hit, according to a July survey by the Education Cluster, a coalition of aid organizations led by UNICEF and Save the Children.

In another attack earlier Wednesday, a house near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis was hit, killing 11 people, including six siblings. A house in the northern Gaza city of Jabaliya refugee camp was hit Tuesday, killing nine people, including six women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry and civil defense.

The war began with a surprise Hamas assault on southern Israel last October that left 1,200 people dead and about 250 hostages taken. Israel’s subsequent counteroffensive has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, but the Israeli military says the death toll includes thousands of militants.

Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Britain, the European Union and other countries.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Wednesday that a helicopter crashed in the southern Gaza Strip, killing two Israeli soldiers and injuring seven.

A preliminary investigation showed that the crash was not caused by enemy fire. The helicopter crashed while evacuating a wounded soldier in the Rafah area.

In the West Bank, Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday killed at least five people in the city of Tubas, Palestinian emergency officials said.

The Israeli military reported that they had carried out a strike against an “armed terrorist group” in the same area.

In another area of ​​the West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Israeli troops detained five of its emergency workers. The organization said the personnel were transporting a patient and evacuating several children from the Tulkarm refugee camp.

Israel also carried out strikes Wednesday targeting rocket launchers and other sites used by Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, where fears remain of a wider conflict.

One American killed

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel on Tuesday for a “fundamental change” in its actions in the occupied West Bank after the Israeli military acknowledged that its firepower may have killed an activist who is a U.S. citizen.

Blinken called the killing of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi “unprovoked and unjustified.”

“No one should be shot for participating in a protest. No one should have their life put in danger simply for freely expressing their views,” he said.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was “clearly a terrible mistake and a full investigation is underway into the matter.”

U.S. President Joe Biden called it an “accident.” Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democratic presidential candidate in November’s presidential election, said “The killing of Eisenour Eji is a horrible tragedy that should never have happened.”

The Pentagon said late Tuesday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed Eji’s death in a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Austin urged Gallant to review Israel’s “rules of engagement when operating in the West Bank,” the Pentagon said.

Eji was shot in the head last week during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the occupied West Bank.

Cease-fire efforts

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday the United States will continue to work with Qatar and Egypt to narrow gaps in a cease-fire agreement and stop the conflict in Gaza as soon as possible.

“More than 90 percent of the issues have been agreed upon, so we only have a few issues left, even some that we think are difficult but can be fully resolved,” Blinken told reporters at a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London.

Lammy, who had just returned from the United Arab Emirates, said the UAE “has shown some forward-looking commitment” to ensure the security of post-war Gaza. He stressed the need to find a way to a two-state solution and stressed that Hamas must not play any role in post-war Gaza.