A journalist was killed along with 11 other Palestinians by an Israeli strike on a Gaza school, pushing the death toll for members of the media in Gaza to 170.
On Tuesday, Hamza Abdul Rahman Murtaja was killed in Gaza City while sheltering at the Mustafa Hafez School. Al Mayadeen reported that 11 other people were killed due to the bombing and as many as 20 Palestinians remained trapped under the rubble.
Before the strike, 700 displaced Palestinians were sheltering at the Mustafa Hafez School. The ten-month-long Israeli onslaught in Gaza has nearly displaced the Strip’s entire population. Many Palestinians are now living in schools or tents. In recent weeks, Israel has bombed multiple schools, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
Murtaja is the 170th journalist killed since October 7, and at least the fourth murdered this month. Tel Aviv has been accused of intentionally targeting the journalists and reporters in Gaza to coverup the ongoing genocide.
Israel claimed the school was serving as a gathering place for members of Hamas. Tel Aviv has often used this excuse when bombing clearly designated civilian targets such as hospitals, schools, and aid convoys.
The US has continued to ship Israel billions of dollars in weapons as Tel Aviv has killed at least 40,000 Palestinians. The White House has often repeated Israel’s claims about Hamas using civilians as human shields in Gaza.
However, Tel Aviv has often failed to provide evidence that the civilian facilities were used by Hamas. Additionally, Haaretz reports that Israeli soldiers regularly force Palestinians to scout out tunnels while handcuffed.
