Israeli airstrikes killed at least 100 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including 27 people sheltering in a school in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, according to the territory's health authorities. The strikes came as the Israeli military escalated its offensive in both the north and south of the enclave and ordered further evacuations in Gaza City.
Health Ministry spokesman Zaher al-Wahidi confirmed that the bodies of 14 children and five women were pulled from the rubble at the Dar al-Arqam school, where at least 70 others were wounded. The school, used as a shelter by displaced families, was reportedly hit by at least four missiles. A separate Israeli strike killed four more people at the nearby Fahd school, which was also housing civilians.
The Israeli military said it targeted a "Hamas command and control center" in the area, echoing similar justification for an earlier strike on a United Nations facility that killed at least 17 people. Footage from the aftermath of the school attack was described as "horrific" by Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud, who reported that some victims died en route to hospitals due to the severity of their injuries.
"Some of the footage is too graphic to show," Mahmoud said. "Many were killed on the spot while others succumbed to their injuries while being transported in ambulances or civilian vehicles."
In Gaza City, 21 bodies were delivered to al-Ahli Hospital, including seven children. Hospital officials in Khan Younis said 14 bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital, nine of them from the same family. The European Hospital in Khan Younis received another 19 bodies, including five children and a pregnant woman.
The attacks came just hours after the Israeli military warned residents in parts of northern and central Gaza to evacuate, saying it would operate "with extreme force." Many families fled on foot, some using donkey carts to carry their belongings. "My wife and I have been walking for three hours covering only one kilometer," said 72-year-old Mohammad Ermana. "I'm searching for shelters every hour now, not every day."
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that at least 280,000 people have been newly displaced in the past month, with much of Gaza's infrastructure in ruins. Gaza's Health Ministry says over 50,500 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's war began following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed 1,139 people.
Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants but has not provided supporting evidence. Palestinian officials say more than half of those killed are women and children. The death toll continues to rise amid Israel's declared effort to dismantle Hamas, which it accuses of embedding fighters within civilian infrastructure.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will establish a new security corridor across Gaza and maintain control of the Netzarim corridor, which separates the northern third of Gaza from the rest of the strip. He also referenced implementing a proposal from former U.S. President Donald Trump to promote "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians-plans human rights experts say may violate international law.
Netanyahu arrived in Hungary Thursday despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in November. The warrant, related to allegations of using starvation as a method of warfare and targeting civilians, has been dismissed by Israeli officials. In a separate move, Hungary announced plans to begin withdrawing from the ICC, citing politicization of the institution.
Meanwhile, Israel's military said it will investigate a March 23 incident in which 15 Palestinian medics were reportedly killed and buried alongside their ambulances by Israeli forces. The military claimed the ambulances were acting suspiciously and that nine militants were killed in the operation. Rights groups have called into question the independence of such investigations.
