Gaza School Strike Kills Over 100 Amid Rising Tensions
An Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza killed at least 100 people and injured dozens more on Saturday morning, according to Gaza’s civil defense. This attack, one of the deadliest in the 10-month conflict, occurred as international mediators scrambled to ease escalating tensions in the region.
The White House expressed deep concern over the civilian casualties and urged Israel to take stronger measures to minimize harm to non-combatants. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released several statements, asserting that the strike targeted a Hamas command center allegedly embedded within the compound. The IDF also disputed the reported death toll and the scale of the damage.
Hamas has denied the presence of any command center in the school and labeled Israel’s claim that 19 militants were killed as “false and baseless.”
Meanwhile, the ongoing conflict has severely impacted Gaza’s infrastructure, leading to a public health crisis. Families, doctors, and humanitarian organizations report that many young children in Gaza are suffering from diseases linked to contaminated water, including hepatitis and skin infections. The region’s water system, heavily dependent on wells and desalination plants, has been devastated by the conflict, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
