HRW Says Israel Used US-Made Bombs in Unlawful Strikes on Gaza Schools

Israel used American-made bombs in what Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling “unlawful attacks” on schools sheltering displaced civilians in Gaza, according to a new report released Thursday.

The rights group said Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on educational facilities since its war on Gaza began in October 2023 — including strikes they describe as “unlawfully indiscriminate,” carried out with US-supplied weapons and in violation of international law.

HRW focused on two incidents in 2024 where it said GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, made in the United States, were used.

The first attack, on July 27, 2024, hit the Khadija girls’ school in Deir el-Balah and killed at least 15 people. The second, on September 21, struck the Zeitoun C school in Gaza City, killing at least 34.

In both cases, HRW said there was no evidence of any military presence at the schools on the days of the strikes.

Israeli authorities have not shared public details about the attacks. The government has said in the past that such strikes were aimed at Hamas fighters operating from or near schools — but no evidence has been presented to support that claim in the two incidents HRW investigated.

The group warned that these attacks are not isolated. According to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least 10 schools used as shelters for displaced people were hit by Israeli strikes between July 1 and July 10, 2025. Those attacks killed 59 people and forced dozens of families to flee once again.

HRW stressed that under international law, schools and other civilian infrastructure remain protected unless they are being used for military purposes.

“The rights group called for an immediate halt to arms transfers to Israel,” the report said, warning that governments supplying weapons could be complicit in violations if such support continues.