At least seven Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, including an air strike that targeted the Islamic University in Gaza City. Three security guards were killed on Sunday in an Israeli air strike on the university campus, marking the second attack on the institution within hours.

The aftermath of the strike on the Islamic University was described as devastating. Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud, reporting from the scene, stated that bloodstains and body parts were visible, with the air filled with the smell of burning concrete, flesh, and blood. Mahmoud and his team had recently finished filming on site and had greeted the security guards who were later killed. The correspondent also reported hearing the sound of flying shrapnel, narrowly avoiding being hit.

In an earlier drone strike on the same campus, seven female students were injured by shrapnel, with one sustaining serious injuries and requiring transfer to a field hospital. Separately, in southern Gaza, the Nasser Medical Complex reported two fatalities resulting from Israeli shelling in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, with several individuals, including a child, wounded. Another person was killed by an Israeli drone strike east of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. Additionally, an attack on al-Rashid Street, near Hamad Hospital in northern Gaza, resulted in one death and several injuries, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

The attacks on educational facilities have drawn condemnation. The Popular Resistance Committees in Palestine denounced the university attacks and urged mediators and international guarantors to intervene to halt what they termed Israeli violations. These incidents occur amidst a broader context of conflict where educational infrastructure has been severely impacted.

Data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) indicates that nearly 95 percent of Gaza’s higher education campuses have suffered destruction or damage since the conflict began in October 2023. The report also noted that many buildings at the Islamic University were already in a state of disrepair prior to the recent attacks.

Al Jazeera's reporting highlighted the immediate and visceral impact of the strikes, with correspondents describing scenes of destruction and human suffering. The targeting of a university campus, even one with pre-existing damage, raises concerns about the protection of civilian infrastructure during the ongoing conflict.

Further details regarding the specific military objectives, if any, cited by Israeli authorities for these strikes were not immediately available. The casualty figures provided by local medical facilities and news agencies underscore the ongoing human cost of the conflict in Gaza.

The situation remains tense, with international bodies and local groups calling for de-escalation and accountability for actions that result in civilian deaths and the destruction of key infrastructure.