Strike kills three at Islamic University in Gaza City; outlets describe it as Israeli

A strike hit the Islamic University in Gaza City on 25 October 2026 and killed three people, according to reports by Al Jazeera and The Hindu. Both outlets describe the strike as Israeli. Both say students were among those hit or affected. At the time of reporting, the Israeli military had not confirmed or denied involvement.

According to The Hindu, Al Shifa hospital said it received three bodies and treated eight wounded people from the strike. The Hindu quoted two sources at the Islamic University as saying the injured were students. The Hindu describes the attack on the university as a drone strike.

According to The Hindu, Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said four other people were killed elsewhere in the Gaza Strip on 25 October 2026. He said two were killed in an airstrike in Khan Yunis, one in Deir al Balah and one in the north of the Strip.

The Hindu reports that a truce has been in effect in Gaza for over a year. It says the truce has not completely halted the violence.

What is disputed

• Who was killed. Al Jazeera's summary says the strikes hit students and security guards. The Hindu, citing two sources at the university, says those killed were administrative staff and the injured were students.
• Number of strikes. Al Jazeera reports that two strikes hit the university. The Hindu describes a single strike.

What each side says

• Gaza's Education Ministry, in a statement quoted by The Hindu, said the students were present for classes and condemned the strike. It said: "This strike occurs at a time when the higher education sector is facing total annihilation, with 95 percent of the buildings belonging to academic institutions having been damaged as a result of the war." It also said: "over the past six days, 10 students and educators have been killed by the occupation's fire." The ministry added that "the global silence regarding attacks on students and universities serves as encouragement for the continuation of these crimes". The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not independently verify these figures.
• The Israeli military, according to The Hindu, said it was looking into the reports.

What remains unclear

The reports do not include the names or confirmed roles of those killed. They do not give the time of the strike. They do not establish whether there were one or two strikes on the university. They do not include an Israeli military account of the strike, its target or its rationale. Only The Hindu reports the number of wounded. Al Jazeera's report is available only as a headline and short summary and does not name its sources.

Analysis

The incident adds to questions about how far the truce, in effect for over a year according to The Hindu, limits violence in Gaza. Several details remain unresolved: the identities and roles of those killed, the number of strikes, and the target. An Israeli military account, if one is released, could clarify the circumstances or add a differing version. Independent verification of the Education Ministry's figures would help assess its broader claims about damage to education. Until fuller information emerges, the two outlets' accounts agree on the core event but differ on key details.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.