An Israeli military attack on a school sheltering displaced civilians in Gaza City killed six Palestinians on Friday, including a four-month-old infant and a teenage girl, in what witnesses described as a sudden and unprovoked shelling. The attack on the shelter in the Tuffah neighborhood has intensified accusations that Israel is systematically violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, with Hamas officials warning these repeated actions threaten to collapse the fragile agreement entirely.
The strike occurred late Friday, with shells hitting the school without warning, according to survivors. The Palestinian Civil Defence recovered the bodies of the victims, who were identified as two men, two women, a 14-year-old girl, and a four-month-old baby. Dozens gathered at Al-Shifa Hospital to mourn, where grief-stricken relatives cradled the shrouded bodies of their loved ones. "This is not a truce, it is a bloodbath," said Nafiz al-Nader, who witnessed the attack. The Israeli military stated its troops fired at "suspicious individuals" near the ceasefire demarcation line, known as the Yellow Line, and said it was reviewing the incident.
This killing is the latest in a series of daily attacks that Palestinian authorities say have killed approximately 400 people in Gaza since the ceasefire began on October 10. Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad has detailed over 800 Israeli violations, including killings, bombardments, and targeted assassinations, which he states have been formally documented and submitted to international mediators. The group's Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya, warned that these actions "threaten the viability" of the ceasefire deal and called on mediators, particularly U.S. President Donald Trump, to force Israel to comply.
The attack further complicates the already stalled transition to the ceasefire's second phase. The first phase required an end to hostilities, but the persistent violence and Israel's failure to meet agreed-upon aid levels have created a deadlock. While Israel insists on the return of the remains of the final hostage before moving forward, Hamas and mediators argue that Israel's continued military operations and restrictions on humanitarian aid are the primary obstacles to peace.
The civilian toll in Gaza continues to mount within a context of profound humanitarian collapse. Since the war began in October 2023, Israeli forces have killed over 70,000 Palestinians, with scholars estimating approximately 80% of the fatalities are civilians. The territory also suffers from the world's highest number of child amputees per capita. Despite ceasefire terms requiring 600 aid trucks daily, deliveries have fallen short, averaging only 459 per day according to an analysis of Israeli data, while UN figures report an even lower number. This aid failure has slowed recovery from a man-made famine and left displaced families exposed to winter floods and cold without adequate shelter or supplies.