The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is outraged at the mounting deaths in Gaza following airstrikes which have reportedly killed over 80 Palestinians since Monday. This includes strikes in the early morning on 26 May at a DRC-managed school-turned-shelter in Gaza city.
Fahmi Al-Jarjawi School, which was being used as a shelter for displaced families, was hit three times while people slept. At least 41 people were killed, including women and children, with at least 70 more injured. The entire ground floor of the school was destroyed, and 50 families are now once again displaced.
Repeated strikes on shelters, homes, and densely populated areas violate obligations under international humanitarian law intended to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in times conflict.
DRC is also gravely concerned by the continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza since the total blockade was imposed on 2 March. After nearly three months without aid, a small number of trucks were allowed entry on 20 May. The United Nations described this limited delivery as “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.”
With the population of Gaza facing mass displacement, widespread food insecurity, and an imminent risk of famine, the limited entry of trucks, far below the required daily volume, is insufficient and dangerously misleading if framed as a turning point.
DRC calls on all parties and the international community to take immediate, coordinated action to avert further catastrophe.
