Israeli strike kills Gaza student heading for final exams

A high school student was killed and several civilians injured on Monday when Israeli warplanes targeted a civilian vehicle in Gaza City. The latest strike signifies an escalation of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Raghad Ashour, a student, died and others sustained various injuries in an Israeli airstrike in the Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza City, according to medical sources cited by WAFA. Al Jazeera reported that Ashour was traveling to a center in Gaza City to take her general exams when the strike hit, killing her instantly.

The morning had been relatively calm, with people moving through the streets of Rimal, a commercial area in central Gaza City, attempting to carry out daily routines. This tranquility was shattered when Israeli drones fired missiles. Witnesses described a 15-second interval between the first, second, and third strikes, which targeted two vehicles. Many residential buildings and shops in the area were destroyed, resulting in multiple casualties.

Medical sources described many of the injured as being in critical condition, with most suffering from shrapnel wounds. The attack occurred after Palestinian journalist Ahmad Washah was killed on Saturday in an Israeli drone strike targeting a house in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Another Palestinian was killed and a third injured in that same attack.

Al Jazeera confirmed Washah's death, bringing the total number of journalists and staff killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 12. Washah was the brother of Mohammed Washah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his vehicle on Al-Rashid coastal road in Gaza City in April.