Headline Roundup • June 6th, 2024
Israeli Airstrike Hits Gaza School, Killing Dozens
Summary from the AllSides News Team
An Israeli airstrike Thursday morning hit a Gaza school, killing civilians and potentially Hamas militants.
For Context: The strike hit the al-Sardi School, which was run by the United Nations (UN) and sheltered refugees. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) estimated that 20–30 Hamas militants were in the school, which they were reportedly using as a base of operations.
The Details: It's unclear exactly how many were killed in the strike. A reporter for the Times of Israel (Center bias) put the number at 27, the UN said 35, and Hamas-run media reports from Gaza said 40. It also isn't clear how many of those killed, if any, were members of Hamas.
Key Quote: UNRWA Chief Philippe Lazzarini said, "Claims that armed groups may have been inside the shelter are shocking. We are however unable to verify these claims."
How the Media Covered It: The Associated Press (Lean Left bias) said the strike was the "latest instance of mass casualties among Palestinians trying to find refuge," and that it "killed more than 30 people, including 23 women and children, according to local health officials," which is a larger estimate of women and children killed than center- and right-rated outlets issued. Some center outlets quoted death counts and responses to the strike from the IDF and Hamas next to each other. Outlets on the right were more likely to highlight the IDF justification and signaled more openness to the notion that the strike killed terrorists rather than innocent civilians.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Dozens of people were killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday on a school where the Israel Defense Forces said Hamas was operating from in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF estimated that between 20 to 30 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists were at the school, which is run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians, when it was hit, according to the Times of Israel.
The terrorists were in three classrooms separate from where civilians were sheltering.
Israel hit a Gaza school on Thursday with what it described as a targeted airstrike on up to 30 Hamas fighters inside, while a Hamas official said 40 people including women and children were killed as they sheltered in the U.N. site.
The strike took place at a sensitive moment in mediated negotiations on a ceasefire agreement entailing the release of hostages seized by Hamas on Oct. 7 and some of the Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Hamas seeks a permanent end to the war. Israel says it must destroy the...
(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
An Israeli strike early Thursday on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza killed more than 30 people, including 23 women and children, according to local health officials. The Israeli military said that Hamas militants were operating from within the school.
It was the latest instance of mass casualties among Palestinians trying to find refuge as Israel expands its offensives in the Gaza Strip. A day earlier, the military announced a new ground and air assault in central Gaza, pursuing Hamas militants it says have regrouped there. Troops repeatedly...
