The Gaza Strip has reached a new and devastating phase of conflict. Dozens of Palestinians, among them women and children, have been murdered in the latest Israeli air attacks on shelters for civilians. A school in Gaza City and a tent camp in al‑Mawasi were targeted, thereby adding to international fury and apprehensions of an expanded humanitarian catastrophe. This report lays bare the emerging disaster, providing a clear snapshot of who is involved, why it's occurring, and where things are likely to go.
/*The Bombardment: What We Know*/
Gaza experienced one of its most lethal days in recent weeks on 3 July 2025. A strike on Mustafa Hafez School, a shelter for internally displaced Palestinians west of Gaza City, killed at least 16 people and injured many, most of whom were women and children, as reported by Al Jazeera, AFP, and Gaza Civil Defence.
Simultaneously, a second strike hit a tent camp in al‑Mawasi south of Khan Younis, killing about 13 people, including entire families, as reported by PBS Newshour and local medical officials.
/*Background: Safe Zones and Al-Mawasi*/
Israel has, since late 2023, designated al-Mawasi as a "humanitarian safe zone" and urged civilians to relocate there in expectation of military advances.
However, frequent strikes like the ones in May and September 2024, when tens were killed in tent camps demonstrate these areas are anything but secure.
This pattern highlights the stark contradiction: evacuation orders aimed at safety are succeeded by implacable bombardment.
/*Casualties and Official Reports*/
Estimates of total death tolls vary:
Gaza Health Ministry 118 fatalities in 24 hours, including 73 since morning.
Gaza Government Media Office accuses Israel of 26 "bloody massacres" in 48 hours, over 300 killed.
According to AFP via Gaza Civil Defence, everyone killed in the school strike were among sheltered displaced citizens, most women and children.
/*Context and International Response */
The attacks come amid a broader Israeli campaign intensified before ceasefire talks scheduled for 3 July, Reuters reports. Israel had displaced individuals from northern Gaza, under the guise of civilian resettlement to al‑Mawasi as secure but the zone has been consistently targeted. The UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, condemned the strikes as indicative of a "genocidal campaign" in Gaza and urged international sanctions and arms embargoes.