Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of using US-made bombs in “unlawful indiscriminate” attacks on schools sheltering displaced civilians in Gaza. In a report released on Thursday, HRW said Israel had carried out hundreds of strikes on schools since the start of its war on Gaza in October 2023, including “unlawfully indiscriminate attacks” using US munitions, which violated international law.
The report investigated two incidents in 2024 in which GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs supplied by the United States were used. One attack on the Khadija girls’ school in Deir el-Balah on July 27, 2024, killed at least 15 people, and another attack on the Zeitoun C school in Gaza City on September 21, 2024, left at least 34 dead. Israeli authorities have not publicly shared information relating to the attacks, and HRW found no evidence of a military presence at the schools on the days of the attacks.
HRW warned that recent Israeli attacks on schools sheltering displaced people were worsening the dire humanitarian situation in the territory. From July 1-10, 2025, Israeli forces struck at least 10 schools where displaced people were sheltering, killing 59 people and displacing dozens of families, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The group emphasized that schools used to house civilians remain protected under international law unless used for military purposes.
The rights group called for an immediate halt to arms transfers to Israel, warning of potential complicity by governments providing military support. “These strikes on schools sheltering displaced families are just one window into the carnage in Gaza,” said Gerry Simpson, associate director at HRW. “Other governments should not tolerate this horrendous slaughter of Palestinian civilians merely seeking safety.”
The repeated targeting of civilian infrastructure, including shelters, hospitals, and schools, shows a pattern of attacks that may amount to war crimes, according to HRW. Nearly all of Gaza’s 564 schools have sustained damage, with 92 percent requiring full reconstruction or major repairs. The UN has reported that at least 836 people sheltering in schools have been killed.
Simpson emphasized that governments supporting Israel militarily cannot claim ignorance about the use of their weapons. “Governments supporting Israel militarily can’t say they didn’t know what their weapons are being used for,” he said. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, with nearly 1 million displaced Palestinians taking shelter in Gaza’s schools since October 2023.