Human Rights Watch Israel targeted hundreds of schools in Gaza and killed displaced people with US munitions

Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday that Israeli forces have targeted more than 500 school buildings in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, many of which were being used as shelters for displaced persons, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinian civilians, including children.

The international human rights organization noted in a statement that the attacks included “indiscriminate and unlawful” strikes carried out with US-made munitions, destroying or severely damaging nearly all of Gaza’s schools. It emphasized that these attacks “reflect the absence of any safe haven for civilians and the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Strip.”

Human Rights Watch called on governments supporting Israel, including the United States, to suspend all arms transfers to the country and “take urgent measures to enforce the Genocide Convention,” warning against the commission of further mass atrocities.

The organization noted that it investigated two Israeli airstrikes targeting the Khadija Girls’ School in Deir al-Balah and the Zeitoun C School east of Gaza City, which resulted in the deaths of at least 49 Palestinians. It emphasized that “no military target was found” at either site, making the attacks “indiscriminate and unlawful.”