Tel Aviv, Sept. 18, 2024 (TheGavel) – At least 10 people, including children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian civil defense and local health authorities. The strikes targeted a former school building in the Gaza Strip, which had reportedly been repurposed as a command center by Hamas, the militant organization currently engaged in a prolonged conflict with Israel.
The Palestinian civil defense confirmed that eight individuals, including children, lost their lives in the airstrike on the former school. Several others were reportedly injured in the attack. “The building, which once served as a school, had been transformed into a Hamas operational hub used for planning and carrying out attacks against Israeli forces,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) clarified that their air force had specifically targeted the structure because of its use by Hamas, which Israel has been fighting since the latest escalation began on October 7. “We hold Hamas responsible for the continued aggression and use of civilian structures for military purposes,” the military spokesman added, stating that efforts to minimize civilian casualties had been prioritized.
In a separate incident, at least two Palestinians were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle in the southern Gaza Strip near Rafah, local medical sources reported. The European Hospital in Khan Younis confirmed that 12 others sustained injuries in the Rafah attack. “The hospital staff is struggling to manage the growing number of casualties from the ongoing strikes,” said a doctor at the hospital, who noted that the majority of the injured were civilians.
While the Israeli military acknowledged the reports of the strikes, an official spokesperson said they were “still examining the circumstances surrounding the attack on the vehicle.”
The death toll in Gaza continues to rise as the conflict shows no signs of de-escalation. According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza, more than 41,270 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began over a month ago. The ministry also stated that about a third of the fatalities are children and adolescents under the age of 18, highlighting the devastating toll the conflict has taken on younger generations. However, the health authority does not differentiate between civilian and combatant casualties in their reported figures.
The ongoing conflict, marked by Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket attacks, has led to widespread devastation across Gaza. International efforts to broker a ceasefire have so far failed, with both sides blaming each other for the escalation of violence.
As the humanitarian crisis worsens, the international community has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, with growing concern over the high number of civilian casualties, particularly among children. Aid organizations continue to warn that the situation is rapidly deteriorating, with severe shortages of food, medical supplies, and clean water exacerbating the suffering of Gaza’s population. (NAN)
Dear readers, we really need your support to keep on serving you with authoritative, truthful, and juicy stories everyday. For your support, please reach out to the editor @gavelinternational66@gmail.com