US-made bombs used in deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza schools, HRW says

Human Rights Watch says US arms were utilized successful ‘unlawful indiscriminate’ Israeli attacks that killed Palestinian civilians.

Israel has utilized US-made bombs successful “unlawful attacks” connected schools sheltering displaced civilians successful Gaza, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

In a report released Thursday, HRW said Israel had carried retired hundreds of strikes connected schools since the commencement of its warfare connected Gaza successful October 2023, including “unlawfully indiscriminate attacks” utilizing US munitions, which violated planetary law.

In its report, HRW investigated 2 incidents successful 2024 successful which it recovered that GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs supplied by the United States were used. One onslaught connected the Khadija girls’ schoolhouse successful Deir el-Balah connected July 27, 2024, killed astatine slightest 15 people, and different onslaught connected the Zeitoun C schoolhouse successful Gaza City connected September 21, 2024, near astatine slightest 34 dead.

Israeli authorities person not publically shared accusation relating to the attacks. Israel has often said that its attacks connected schools were targeting Hamas fighters. It has provided nary grounds to bespeak the beingness of subject targets astatine the sites of the attacks documented by the rights group.

In some attacks, HRW and that determination was nary grounds of a subject beingness astatine the schools connected the days of the attacks.

The rights radical besides warned that caller Israeli attacks connected schools sheltering displaced radical were worsening the dire humanitarian concern successful the territory.

HRW said that from July 1-10, 2025, Israeli forces struck astatine slightest 10 schools wherever displaced radical were sheltering, sidesplitting 59 radical and displacing dozens of families, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The radical emphasised that schools utilized to location civilians stay protected nether planetary instrumentality unless utilized for subject purposes.

The rights radical called for an contiguous halt to arms transfers to Israel, informing of imaginable complicity by governments providing subject support.

“These strikes connected schools sheltering displaced families are conscionable 1 model into the carnage successful Gaza,” said Gerry Simpson, subordinate manager astatine HRW. “Other governments should not tolerate this horrendous slaughter of Palestinian civilians simply seeking safety.”

It besides urged states to uphold their obligations nether planetary law, including the Genocide Convention.

“Governments supporting Israel militarily can’t accidental they didn’t cognize what their weapons are being utilized for,” said Simpson.

According to the United Nations, astir 1 cardinal displaced Palestinians person taken structure successful Gaza’s schools since October 2023.

HRW said the repeated targeting of civilian infrastructure, including shelters, hospitals and schools, showed a signifier of attacks that whitethorn magnitude to warfare crimes.

HRW noted that astir each of Gaza’s 564 schools person sustained damage, with 92 percent requiring afloat reconstruction oregon large repairs.

The UN has reported that astatine slightest 836 radical sheltering successful schools person been killed.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies