Abu Hussein School airstrike

Overview

On 23 November 2023, during the Gaza war, an Israeli airstrike hit the Abu Hussein School in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. The school was at the time being used as a shelter by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The strike occurred in the morning, when thousands of displaced people were reportedly sheltering inside the building.

Casualties

At least 27 people were killed in the attack, with multiple additional injuries reported. ## Later attack

The same source notes that the Abu Hussein School was struck again in October 2024, in a separate incident reportedly killing at least 28 people, including multiple children. That later strike is a distinct event from the 23 November 2023 airstrike that is the subject of this case entry.

Context

The Abu Hussein School strike is documented as one of numerous Israeli airstrikes on educational facilities used as shelters in Gaza following the outbreak of the war on 7 October 2023. By late March 2024, the United Nations had recorded more than 200 Israeli attacks on schools in Gaza, with at least 53 schools totally destroyed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has stated it targets schools because Palestinian militants allegedly use them for military purposes; researchers examining the IDF's claims, including the research group Forensic Architecture, concluded that the evidence presented either lacked support or was misleading. Hamas has denied using schools for military purposes.