Last week more than 100 people were killed after Israel hit a school in Gaza City sheltering displaced Palestinians, as the United Nations accused Israel of intensifying attacks on schools.

The targeting of al-Talbin School on Saturday during dawn prayers triggered global outrage.

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Paramedics at the scene described the carnage as horrific, with “bodies ripped to pieces”. Israel claimed that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters were operating from the school – a claim that was rejected by Hamas.

Israel has repeatedly attacked Gaza’s schools, hospitals and universities, claiming the buildings were used for military purposes without providing any proof.

With numerous evacuation orders since the war in Gaza began on October 7, schools have often been used to shelter nearly two million displaced Palestinians in the besieged enclave.

Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, schools are considered civilian objects and should be protected from attacks. However, within a 10-day period in August, Israeli forces struck five schools in Gaza City, killing more than 179 people and injuring scores more.

Where have attacks on schools happened in August?

At least 15 people were killed and more than 29 injured in an Israeli strike on the Dalal al-Mughrabi School on August 1, according to officials.

Two days later, strikes on Hamama and al-Huda schools killed 17 and injured more than 60 people.

On August 4, at least 30 people were killed and 19 others injured after Israel struck Nassr and Hassan Salameh schools in the Nassr neighbourhood in Gaza City.

Israel bombed Abdul Fattah Hamouda and az-Zahra schools, killing 17 and injuring dozens more on August 8.

The worst attack in recent weeks was on al-Tabin School, which Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said was hit by at least three missile attacks.

The UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, condemned the attack.

“Israel is genociding the Palestinians, one neighbourhood at the time, one hospital at the time, one school at the time, one refugee camp at the time, one ‘safe zone’ at the time. With US and European weapons,” she posted on X.

Palestinians inspect the area after a fatal Israeli attack hit the az-Zahra school in the east of Gaza City on August 8, 2024 [Dawoud Abo Alka/Anadolu Agency]

Previous Israeli attacks on schools

In July, a similar cluster campaign targeting school shelters across the Gaza Strip killed nearly 50 people within a week.

Almost 85 percent of school buildings in Gaza have been damaged, with nearly all schools in North Gaza either being “directly hit” or damaged. This is followed by Gaza City, where more than 90 percent of the schools have been damaged or destroyed.

According to data compiled by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), up to July 6, 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.
In Gaza City, 208 school buildings have been damaged or directly hit.
Deir el-Balah, which has in past weeks been part of the designated safe areas, has had 70 school buildings attacked.
Khan Younis, where a large population of 75,000 was forced to flee days ago, has had 125 school buildings directly hit and damaged.
In Rafah, 66 school buildings were directly hit or damaged.

Are attacks on schools in Gaza increasing?

There has been an increasing trend by Israeli forces of attacking school shelters that are housing thousands of people displaced by the war.

According to the data compiled by UNICEF, from November onwards, the number of directly hit schools increased fivefold as the number of schools hit went from 60 to almost 340.

The total number of children killed during the war has increased to more than 16,500, while the total death toll in Gaza stands at nearly 40,000.

The increased number of attacks on school shelters comes amid global calls for a ceasefire, and regional pressure to end the assault on Gaza, which has been turned into a vast wasteland of rubble.

A view of destroyed buildings in Gaza, amid Israel’s war on Gaza, as seen from southern Israel on August 1, 2024 [Amir Cohen/Reuters]

But experts have said continued Israeli attacks across Gaza risk derailing those efforts, with some accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to sabotage any possible deal to end the war.

Additionally, analysts have told Al Jazeera that Israel’s military strategically uses disproportionate violence.

“Israel’s military has failed both to secure the release of the hostages and to deal a ‘death blow’ to Hamas,” said Tariq Kenney-Shawa, a policy fellow at Al-Shabaka, a Palestinian policy network, who noted “Massive attacks … give the Israeli government and military something to point to as a ‘win’ if they result in the death of Hamas leaders and large numbers of civilians because it fits into Israel’s wider strategy of deterrence through unparalleled destruction.”