By 24 Daily News Staff
In the war-torn enclave of Gaza, no place is safe — not even schools.
Since October 2023, Israeli airstrikes have targeted over 500 school buildings in Gaza, many of which had become makeshift shelters for displaced civilians. The assaults have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, the destruction of key infrastructure, and a devastating blow to the future of education in the region.
“What have we done as children? We wake up and go to sleep terrified,” a young survivor told the BBC.
“At least protect the schools — we don’t have schools or homes. Where do we go?”
According to Human Rights Watch (source), these strikes constitute unlawfully indiscriminate attacks under international law, particularly when no evidence of military presence was found at targeted locations like Khadija Girls’ School and Al-Zeitoun C School.
Two Strikes, Dozens Dead, No Warnings
Khadija Girls’ School (July 27, 2024):
Located in Deir al-Balah, the school housed nearly 4,000 displaced civilians. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 15 people (some reports say 30), including children and medical personnel. Human Rights Watch found no evidence of a military target at the site.Al-Zeitoun C School (September 21, 2024):
An airstrike killed 34 civilians, mostly women and children, in a compound sheltering displaced families in Gaza City. Again, no military presence was found, and no advance warning was issued.
Reports from Airwars and UN OCHA confirmed that at least 97% of Gaza’s schools have been damaged or destroyed, with 92% requiring full reconstruction — a process expected to take years. As of mid-July 2025, over 836 people sheltering in schools have been killed and more than 2,500 injured.
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Legal and Political Fallout
These attacks raise pressing questions about violations of the laws of war, especially as many strikes used US-manufactured GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs supplied through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs.
“Governments supplying Israel with weapons can no longer claim ignorance,” said Gerry Simpson of Human Rights Watch.
“It’s time for accountability.”
The UN Commission of Inquiry recently declared that Israeli actions amount to the obliteration of Gaza’s education system and possibly war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination (UN COI Report).
Although Palestine endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration in 2015, Israel has refused to join. The declaration seeks to protect schools and students during armed conflicts.
Global Reactions and Arms Embargo Demands
Human Rights Watch and other organizations have urged governments, particularly the United States, to suspend all arms transfers to Israel. The report warns that continuing to supply weapons contributes to possible war crimes and undermines international humanitarian law.
+972 Magazine and Local Call revealed the existence of a “special strike cell” within the Israeli military tasked with identifying schools — labeled “centers of gravity” — as bombing targets. The so-called “double tap” tactic, where follow-up strikes hit first responders, has become disturbingly common.
The Human Cost
Beyond the political and legal ramifications, the deepest wounds remain psychological and generational. With schools in ruins and childhoods shattered, the education of an entire population hangs in the balance.
“Israeli strikes on schools are not just attacks on buildings,” Simpson noted.
“They are attacks on the future of Gaza’s children.”
