A pre-dawn Israeli airstrike on a Gaza City school being used as a shelter killed at least 33 people on Monday, most of them women and children, according to local rescue workers.
The school, once known as the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi School, had become a refuge for families displaced by months of conflict. Civil defence officials in Gaza said the total number of deaths from Israeli strikes on Monday reached 52.
“This was a place where families thought they’d be safe,” said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defence agency. “Instead, it became a graveyard.”
Israel’s military said it targeted what it described as a command centre used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, embedded within the school. “Numerous steps were taken to reduce civilian harm,” the military said in a statement. It did not provide evidence of militant presence at the site.
The attack comes as Israel expands its offensive in Gaza, reactivating tens of thousands of reservists and striking over 200 locations across the enclave in the past 48 hours. The stated goal: to defeat Hamas, the group that launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel on 7 October last year.
Since the collapse of a ceasefire on 18 March, the fighting has intensified. The Gaza Health Ministry—run by Hamas—reports over 3,700 people killed since then, raising the war’s death toll to nearly 54,000, the majority of them civilians. Israel says the war was triggered by Hamas’s October assault, which left 1,218 people dead and 251 taken hostage. Of those, 57 hostages remain in Gaza, 34 of whom are presumed dead.
Another Bloody Morning
In a separate incident early Monday, Israeli jets struck a home belonging to the Abd Rabbo family in Jabalia, northern Gaza. At least 19 people were killed in the strike, rescue officials said.
Witnesses described pulling bodies from the rubble with their bare hands. “We didn’t even hear the warning,” said Ahmed Abd Rabbo, a surviving relative. “Just an explosion, and then screams.”
Israel maintains that Hamas operates within civilian areas, using homes, schools, and hospitals to shield its fighters. Hamas denies the claims, accusing Israel of indiscriminate attacks that endanger civilians.
Hunger, Desperation and Blocked Aid
With aid access tightly restricted, the humanitarian crisis is deepening. Food and medicine are in dangerously short supply, worsened by a months-long blockade.
Israel said on Sunday that 107 aid trucks entered Gaza, coordinated through COGAT, the defence ministry body managing civilian affairs. But aid agencies say that’s a drop in the ocean.
“The flow of aid is nowhere near what’s needed,” the World Food Programme said. The group warned of “rising insecurity” as desperate residents have begun looting supplies.
Jake Wood, head of the controversial US-backed Global Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), resigned over the weekend, citing a lack of independence. The GHF had promised to deliver 300 million meals over the next three months, but has faced resistance from international aid groups and the UN, which refuse to cooperate with what they see as a politically compromised operation.
“There is no Palestinian role in GHF,” one UN official told The New York Times. “It’s not neutral. That’s a problem.”
Growing International Outcry
Calls for an immediate ceasefire grew louder on Sunday, as foreign ministers from Arab and European nations met in Spain. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares urged an arms embargo on Israel and demanded “massive, unconditional aid” access into Gaza.
“This is an open wound of humanity,” Albares said.
Meanwhile, in Israel, the mood was defiant as the country prepared to mark Jerusalem Day, commemorating its capture of East Jerusalem in 1967. The military reported that three projectiles were launched from Gaza Monday—two landed within Gaza, and one was intercepted before crossing into Israel.
Despite the rising civilian toll and mounting diplomatic pressure, Israel has shown no sign of slowing its operations. The government continues to argue that Hamas must be dismantled to ensure lasting security.
US President Donald Trump, who has backed Israel throughout the conflict, said over the weekend, “We want to see if we can stop that whole situation as quickly as possible,” without offering details.
Back in Gaza, families bury their dead, ration their bread, and wait for help that never seems to come fast enough.
“We’re not part of any war,” said Umm Youssef, a mother of five sheltering in southern Gaza. “We’re just trying to survive.”
