At least 40 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the northern Gaza Strip on May 26, 2025, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Among the dead, 25 died in a strike on a school that had been turned into a shelter for displaced people in Gaza City. The attack happened during the night while many people were sleeping. The school was hit three times, causing fires that destroyed personal belongings and led to numerous casualties. More than 55 people were wounded in the strike, including a father and his five children.
On the same day, a separate airstrike hit a home in northern Gaza, killing 15 members of one family. This included five women and two children, according to reports from Shifa Hospital. The conflict in Gaza escalated after Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas in March 2025. Since then, Israel has pledged to take control of Gaza and continue fighting until Hamas is defeated and all remaining hostages are freed. The hostages were taken during a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Israel’s military said the school shelter was targeted because it was used as a command center by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants. They accused these groups of using civilian areas to gather intelligence and plan attacks. The Gaza Health Ministry has reported that the ongoing conflict has killed about 54,000 Palestinians since October 2023. They say more than half of those killed are women and children, but the ministry does not separate civilians from combatants in its numbers.
The attacks on homes and shelters have worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Many displaced families rely on schools and other buildings as safe places. Medical centers like Shifa Hospital are overwhelmed by the large number of injured people and face shortages of supplies. International groups have called for urgent aid and a ceasefire to protect civilians caught in the fighting. The conflict continues to cause severe suffering and instability in the region.
