By Mohamed Majed
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - A Palestinian woman was killed and 15 others were injured on Friday as the Israeli army targeted two schools sheltering displaced people in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, which remained under siege and an ongoing Israeli military operation for the past sixth consecutive days.
Al-Awda Hospital released a statement confirming the death of a Palestinian woman and the injury of four others due to Israeli attacks on the Hafsa School, which serves as a shelter for displaced civilians.
In a separate incident, Gaza's Civil Defense reported that dozens of Palestinians were injured by Israeli Quadcopter drone fire at the Al-Fawqa School, another shelter for displaced families in the Jabalia refugee camp.
The Civil Defense added that rescue teams are still working to evacuate the injured following the Israeli strikes.
For six consecutive days, the Israeli military has been conducting a ground offensive in northern Gaza, with a particular focus on Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, and the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp, as part of efforts to clear the area of its civilian population.
The Israeli army launched a military operation in Jabalia on Sunday, citing the need to prevent Hamas from regaining strength in the area.
This followed intense strikes on northern Gaza’s eastern and western regions, the heaviest since May.
The Israeli military warned Palestinians on Monday to evacuate their homes in Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia and move south, while Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security cautioned citizens against complying with these orders, calling them “deception and lies.”
Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
More than 42,100 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 98,100 injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio