GAZA CITY, Sept 20 — Israel expanded its deadly Gaza assault on Friday, striking deep into the heart of Gaza City in an operation that officials described as one of the most intense of the war.
A school sheltering hundreds of displaced families was hit during the barrage, killing children and drawing condemnation from humanitarian groups who warned that the crisis had reached a new breaking point.
The Israeli military said its forces were targeting militants operating in civilian areas. “We carried out precision strikes on Hamas infrastructure that was deliberately placed near schools and hospitals,” an army spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, when Hamas hides behind civilians, tragedies happen.”
Witnesses described scenes of panic and devastation. “We were sleeping in the classrooms when the explosion came,” said Mariam Khalil, a mother of three who had taken refuge in the damaged school. “Children were screaming everywhere. I held my daughter and prayed we would survive.”
Palestinian officials accused Israel of deliberately escalating the deadly Gaza assault and disregarding civilian lives. The Health Ministry in Gaza reported that at least 27 people were killed in the school strike, including 11 children, with dozens more wounded.
“This is a war crime,” said ministry spokesman Dr. Youssef Abu Rami. “Striking a school full of displaced families has no justification.”
International reaction was swift. The United Nations condemned the strike and called for an immediate ceasefire. “Attacks on civilian infrastructure, including schools, are unacceptable under international law,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “The escalating deadly Gaza assault must stop before more innocent lives are lost.”
The Israeli government defended its campaign, insisting that militants were using civilian facilities as cover. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in Jerusalem that Israel would not back down. “We are fighting an enemy that embeds itself within civilian populations,” he said. “The responsibility for these casualties lies with Hamas, not Israel.”
Humanitarian groups dismissed that defense. “Even if militants were present, the disproportionate use of force is shocking,” said Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “The deadly Gaza assault has destroyed hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. Civilians cannot be collateral damage.”
On the ground, survivors recounted harrowing stories. “My cousin was killed instantly,” said Mahmoud El-Sayed, a university student who had sought safety in the school compound. “He was only 14. What did he have to do with this war?”
Medical workers said hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties from the latest wave of airstrikes. “We are operating without electricity, without medicine, without supplies,” said Dr. Lina Hassan at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. “Every new attack from this deadly Gaza assault brings more wounded than we can treat. Children are dying on the floors of emergency rooms.”
U.S. officials expressed deep concern but stopped short of calling for an immediate halt. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged restraint while reaffirming Washington’s support for Israel’s security. “We recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, but we also urge Israel to take every precaution to avoid civilian harm,” he said.
European leaders were more critical. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the strike as “unacceptable and disproportionate,” while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that the deadly Gaza assault risked further destabilizing the region. “This violence is spiraling out of control,” Scholz said.
For Palestinians in Gaza, the latest attack added to months of suffering. Entire neighborhoods in Gaza City have been flattened by the ongoing campaign. “We have nowhere to go,” said Khalil, the mother who survived the school strike. “This deadly Gaza assault is killing us slowly, and the world is just watching.”
Analysts said the strategy appeared aimed at forcing Hamas to capitulate by applying maximum pressure. “Israel is escalating to break Hamas’s infrastructure and will to fight,” said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. “But the cost in human life, especially with images of children killed in a school, risks turning global opinion sharply against Israel.”
In Washington, some lawmakers criticized the administration for not doing more to stop the bloodshed. Senator Bernie Sanders said the U.S. should condition military aid to Israel. “We cannot support a deadly Gaza assault that bombs schools and kills children,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hamas vowed retaliation. In a statement, the group called the school strike “a massacre” and pledged to “make the enemy pay for every drop of Palestinian blood.” Militants continued to fire rockets toward Israeli cities, though most were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system.
The ongoing deadly Gaza assault has displaced more than half a million people, according to UN estimates. Shelters are overcrowded, food and water are scarce, and medical supplies are dwindling.
Aid convoys have struggled to enter the territory amid the bombardment. “We are running out of everything,” said Juliette Touma of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. “This is a humanitarian catastrophe.”
Despite international pressure, Israeli officials signaled that operations would continue. “This is a long campaign,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said. “We will pursue every terrorist until Gaza is free of Hamas.”
Families in Gaza, however, say they feel abandoned. “Every day we bury children,” said Fatima al-Masri, whose nephew was killed in the school strike. “How many more will die before the world stops this deadly Gaza assault?”
Diplomatic efforts showed little progress. Egypt and Qatar attempted to mediate a truce, but neither side appeared ready to compromise. A senior Egyptian official described the talks as “frozen in mistrust.”
In New York, protests erupted outside the UN headquarters as demonstrators demanded an immediate ceasefire. “Stop funding war crimes, stop the deadly Gaza assault,” one protester shouted through a megaphone.
The school strike has become a symbol of the conflict’s mounting toll on civilians. Photographs of bloodstained classrooms circulated widely on social media, fueling outrage and grief. “Those images will haunt the conscience of the world,” said Amnesty International in a statement.
As night fell over Gaza City, the sound of jets and explosions once again filled the sky. Families huddled in basements and shelters, bracing for more. For many, the fear is no longer of losing homes or belongings, but of losing their children.
“This is not life,” said Mariam Khalil quietly. “This deadly Gaza assault has taken everything from us. If the world does not act, we will all die here.”
