In a distressing series of events, at least 25 people have been killed and many more injured in the fourth strike on or near a school in the Gaza Strip within just four days. The health officials in the enclave reported the casualties late Tuesday, expressing deep concern over the escalating violence.

The strike occurred near the Al-Awda school in Abasan, a city in southern Gaza's Khan Younis governorate. Witnesses at the scene, including NBC News' crew, revealed that the strike targeted dozens of people, including children, who had gathered outside the school. Some of them were engrossed in watching a soccer match when the blast occurred.

Al Jazeera released footage, later verified by NBC News, showing the traumatizing scene of the game being played in the school's courtyard just moments before the explosion. Panic and chaos ensued as screams filled the air, with people fleeing in all directions to save themselves.

Following the attack, NBC News captured another agonizing scene in the hospital, where bloodied victims, including young children, filled the hallways. Some were lying on the ground, screaming in pain. Fourteen-year-old Ahmed Wessam Kediah, while lying on a stretcher with a bloodied leg, recounted, "I was walking, when suddenly I found myself flying. I saw all the wounded. Just body parts."

At the site of the strike, the NBC News crew filmed a heart-wrenching scene of a young boy sobbing over two body bags, presumably containing his father and uncle. Through his tears, he cried out, "They killed my father and my uncle. They died. They died. They died."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed responsibility for the strike, stating that they had targeted a Hamas fighter who had participated in an attack on October 7th. The IDF acknowledged reports of civilian harm near the Al-Awda school, emphasizing its proximity to the strike location. Meanwhile, Hamas condemned the attack, warning that continued Israeli aggression could jeopardize ongoing cease-fire negotiations in Doha, Qatar.

The strike on the Al-Awda school is part of a distressing pattern, as it marks the fourth school targeted in just four days. Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, emphasized the severity of the situation, describing how schools have transformed from safe havens of education to overcrowded shelters, and now, tragically, places of death and suffering.

These attacks on schools come after a strike on an UNRWA-run school in Nuseirat on Saturday, which resulted in the death of at least 16 people and injured dozens more. A day later, the Holy Family school in Gaza City, owned by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, was also hit in a separate strike. On Monday, another UNRWA-run school in Nuseirat became the target.

Throughout the war, Israel has consistently alleged that Hamas uses schools and other public facilities, including hospitals, for military purposes, a claim Hamas denies. The relentless airstrikes have taken a heavy toll, with over 520 people killed and nearly 1,600 injured as a result of strikes on UNRWA facilities alone, according to Lazzarini.

Amidst this heightened violence, a group of independent human rights experts mandated by the U.N. has issued a warning about the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They have raised concerns about the recent spread of famine, with at least three children, aged 13, 9, and even a mere six months old, having died from malnutrition in central Gaza since the end of May.

The death toll continues to rise, with at least 34 people having succumbed to malnutrition during the war, predominantly among children. The situation demands urgent attention and a swift response to prevent further loss of life and suffering in Gaza.

As the international community grapples with these distressing developments, hopes for a ceasefire deal persist, aiming to bring an end to nearly nine months of fighting and secure the release of hostages taken during Hamas' October 7th terrorist attack.