Israeli strike on Gaza City school leaves 27 dead, at least 70 wounded, Hamas says
Palestinians grieve over the bodies of their relatives, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as they prepare for burial at a hospital in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip, 2 April 2025
Jack Khoury and Nir Hasson report in Haaretz on 3 April 2025:
More than 100 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip throughout Thursday in Israeli strikes, including 27 in a strike on a school in Gaza City, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
The strike reportedly targeted Dar al Arqam, a school complex housing displaced Gazans in the city’s east, and according to emergency workers, many of the victims were children.
At least 70 people were wounded in the strike, according to the Ministry. In a video posted by Palestinian news agency Quds, victims of the strike can be seen arriving to a hospital. Many of the wounded appear to be children suffering from critical wounds.
In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet security service said they targeted prominent Hamas militants at the organization’s “command and control compound in the Gaza City area” earlier on Thursday. The Israeli security agencies added that the compound was “used by the terrorists to plan and execute terrorist acts.”
“Prior to the attack, many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including the use of precision weapons, advance warnings, aerial observations, and additional intelligence information,” the statement read.
Most of the wounded were evacuated to Al-Maamadi Hospital, one of the few hospitals still functioning in Gaza City. Hospital staff reported that they are unable to treat such a large number of patients with severe wounds, some of whom are amputees. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the death toll is expected to rise as a result of the severe wounds sustained.
Rescue workers in Strip told Haaretz that Thursday’s strikes mainly targeted Gaza City and Rafah in the Strip’s south and that the scale of the destruction has made rescue efforts challenging. “We have reached a point where there is no longer any ability to deal with the number of casualties, many of whom are still trapped under the rubble,” one rescue worker said.
Gaza residents said that strikes intensified following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of the capture of the “Morag Corridor,” which is meant to cut off Rafah from Khan Yunis. According to residents, the IDF is carrying out air and artillery strikes in the area and locals have noticed the advancement of tanks into the corridor.
Residents also say that IDF operations are largely unopposed and that they do not hear exchanges of gunfire as they did during previous rounds of fighting, nor are there official statements from Hamas regarding attacks on IDF forces operating on the ground.
Many in Gaza feel that there is no party capable of pressuring Israel to halt operations and that negotiations for a hostage release and cease-fire deal are at an impasse.
According to sources in Palestinian factions in Cairo who spoke with a member of the organization’s leadership, senior Hamas officials abroad are frustrated by the lack of outside support and the impasse in negotiations. One source said that it seems Netanyahu believes he can bring back the hostages without ending the war. “Even if hostages are released, Netanyahu has received a green light from the White House to advance the immigration plan and apply more pressure on the population, and that is what’s happening on the ground,” he added. “Meanwhile, no country, especially an Arab country, is able to apply pressure. It’s as if we have returned to square one,” he said.
According to source, all the solutions that were discussed until two weeks ago – including the Witkoff plan and various Arab initiatives – are no longer relevant, as they are incapable of influencing Netanyahu.
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