Palestinian journalist among 12 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school

Journalist Hamza Abdul Rahman Murtaja was killed alongside at least 11 people after an Israeli airstrike targeted the Mustafa Hafez School in Gaza City, where displaced people were seeking shelter.

Murtaja was a photographer and journalist with several media outlets. His brother, Yasser Mortaja, was also a journalist who was killed in the 2018-2019 Gaza border protests known as the Great Return March.

Following Murtaja’s death, the number of journalists killed since 7 October in Gaza has now risen to 170, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which has condemned Israel for killing Palestinian journalists.

Israel has been accused of targeting journalists and their families in Gaza, where Israel’s war has faced the highest death toll of media workers in any recent conflict.

The Israeli army has stated it cannot guarantee the safety of journalists operating in Gaza.

Israeli warplanes struck the school on Tuesday morning, housing thousands of displaced civilians, which many school buildings are now being used for since Israel’s war began.

While the Israeli military claimed the school was a Hamas command-and-control centre, two children were among those killed. At least 15 were injured and were taken to the Al-Ahli hospital for treatment.

The Civil Defence teams told Al Jazeera they are still searching under rubble for more bodies. The publication also reported the Israeli army struck the school without any warning.

Israel’s war on Gaza, which has since killed over 40,000 Palestinians, has intensified its attacks on Gazan schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructures, claiming to be targeting Hamas fighters or Hamas centres with no evidence to back up the claims.

Data compiled by UNICEF show that up to 6 July, 564 schools in the Gaza Strip have been directly hit or damaged by Israeli attacks.

In North Gaza, 95 school buildings have been damaged or destroyed and in Gaza City, 208 school buildings have been damaged or directly hit.