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DRC condemns airstrikes on internally displaced shelters and the increased targeting of civilians in Gaza

Posted on 27 May 2025

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.  

The repeated attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, alongside the manipulation of humanitarian aid, are violations that cannot be normalized. Palestinians in Gaza cannot continue to bear the failure of the international community to secure a ceasefire, uphold international law, and ensure the principled and unrestricted delivery of life-saving assistance

/  Charlotte Slente, DRC Secretary General

Specifically, DRC urges: 

  • Full respect for international humanitarian law, including the prohibition against targeting civilians, humanitarian workers and civilian infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals and shelters.  
  • Immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to all parts of Gaza, including through the full and sustained reopening of all border crossings 
  • An end to the use of starvation and self-declared siege tactics as methods of warfare, in line with international humanitarian law 
  • Independent, well-funded humanitarian operations which can access all those in need, led by neutral actors with proven access and contextual understanding, and grounded in the existing humanitarian aid architecture. DRC firmly rejects any parallel or militarized aid delivery mechanism. 
  • Scaled-up support for protection services, including for children, people with disabilities, and other at-risk populations, particularly mental health and psychosocial support for trauma survivors 
  • A permanent ceasefire to end the hostilities and protect civilians from further harm 
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