Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 63 in Gaza, Hit Displaced-Persons School

Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire across the Gaza Strip on 3 July killed at least 63 Palestinians, according to local medics, with the Gaza Health Ministry later reporting 118 dead and 581 wounded in the preceding 24-hour period. The overnight surge marked one of the deadliest single-day escalations in recent weeks.

Medical officials said 28 to 33 of the victims were shot or bombed while queueing for humanitarian aid in central and southern Gaza. In Gaza City, Israeli warplanes struck the Mustafa Hafez School, a shelter for displaced families, killing at least 10 civilians and injuring dozens more. Further casualties were recorded in Beit Lahia in the north and at tent encampments in the coastal al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis.

The Israeli military said its forces hit roughly 150 targets, describing them as militant infrastructure, but did not address specific reports of civilian deaths. The latest attacks push the enclave’s cumulative death toll beyond 57,000 since October 2023, according to Gaza authorities, underscoring the widening humanitarian crisis despite international calls for a cease-fire.