Marking one of the largest mass displacements of the war, hundreds of Palestinians began fleeing Gaza on Thursday, 3 April, as Israeli forces pushed into Rafah, a city on Gaza’s southern edge. On the same day, an airstrike hit a school in northern Gaza, killing dozens of civilians who had sought shelter there. This attack came as Israel intensified its offensive on the enclave, resulting in the deaths of at least 100 Palestinians. Israel stated that its campaign aims to increase pressure on Hamas and ultimately expel the group from Gaza. Health Ministry spokesman Zaher al-Wahidi reported that 14 children and five women were among the bodies recovered from the school in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood, with the death toll likely to rise, as many of the 70 wounded sustained critical injuries. On 1 April, Israel issued sweeping evacuation orders for parts of northern Gaza in anticipation of ground operations. Many Gazans, who had returned to their homes during the temporary ceasefire, are now being forced to flee again from both the northern and southern edges of the strip. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reported that intense Israeli shelling and ground…
