Jabalia refugee camp
Jabalia Camp ( ar, مخيّم جباليا) is a Palestinian refugee camp located north of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip.
History
The Jabalia refugee camp is in the North Gaza Governorate, Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of ...
in the northern
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
, which was being used as a shelter by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNRWA). On 4 November 2023, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 15 people and injured 70.
First airstrike
An Israeli missile fell on al-Fukhora school in the morning of 4 November, when thousands of people were living in the school at the time of the attack.
Casualties
At least 15 people were killed and 70 injured in the attack. Children are also among the dead. The
Arab leaders publicly pressed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to ensure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. However, Blinken pushed back, saying the ceasefire would only allow Hamas to regroup.
Second airstrike
A second airstrike on the school occurred in the early hours of the morning on 18 November. Journalists on the scene reported dead bodies everywhere, suggesting the strike may have been an Israeli message to civilians to flee to the southern Gaza Strip. A video clip surfacing following what has been described as a "massacre" depicts a man walking through several rooms where dozens of corpses can be seen, and distress can be heard throughout the school.
Casualties
The second strike killed at least 50 people.
Reactions
Martin Griffiths
Martin Griffiths (born 3 July 1951) is a British diplomat who currently serves as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations.
Personal life and education
Born in Wales, Griffiths w ...
stated the strike was "tragic news" and that "Shelters are a place for safety. Schools are a place for learning." Tamara Alrifai, a spokesperson for
UNRWA
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians displaced by the 1948 P ...
, stated, "What we're seeing is another one of these horrific incidents, where civilians, people who sought shelter in a protected UN building, are paying the price." The IDF stated it had killed multiple "terrorists."
Philippe Lazzarini
Philippe Lazzarini (born 1964) is a national of Switzerland and Italy who has been serving as Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) since 2020.
From 2015 until 2020, Lazz ...
stated, "These attacks cannot become commonplace." The Qatar Foreign Ministry stated that "an urgent international investigation and independent investigators to probe Israel's targeting of schools and hospitals in Gaza" were needed.
School airstrikes in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...