Palestinian International Organization for Peace and Human Rights

May 7, 2025

What happened?

On May 7, 2025, information was published about repeated bombings targeting three shelters set up inside schools in the Gaza Strip, reporting the killing of dozens of civilians and the wounding of others.

Impact of the incident on civilians

When schools are used for shelter, special precautions should be taken to protect those inside. The civil status of people does not change simply because they are forced to live in educational buildings.

Protecting education and shelters

Schools and civilian buildings are protected from direct attack unless they become military targets under legal conditions. The presence of displaced families within them necessitates special attention to their safety and the possibility of their evacuation if needed.

What is needed to protect the population?

These developments necessitate careful monitoring of the facts related to the issue of “bombing of schools sheltering displaced people in Gaza, resulting in dozens of casualties,” making information available to affected families, providing treatment, relief, or redress according to the nature of the damage, and distinguishing between established information and legal characterization that requires a specialized investigation.

Image: Illustrative archive image that does not necessarily depict the incident described in the article. Image data, photographer, and license on Wikimedia Commons