An emergency worker was killed and six others injured when rescue teams came under attack east of Gaza City on Wednesday morning. The team was carrying out an evacuation mission at a school sheltering displaced families when it was struck, leaving colleagues struggling to continue their work under fire.

The school, already hit earlier in an air raid, had become a refuge for families who had lost their homes. Witnesses said the crew was clearly identifiable in uniforms and marked vehicles when the drone strike tore through the area. The attack added to a long series of assaults on Gaza’s civil defence workers, who have repeatedly been targeted while attempting to save lives in areas devastated by bombardment.

More than 130 emergency personnel have been killed since the beginning of the war, as repeated strikes on rescue workers and their stations have crippled humanitarian response efforts. Despite the risks, many continue their missions, describing their work as both a humanitarian and national duty in the face of destruction. The strikes have sparked growing calls for international protection of those risking their lives to pull survivors from the rubble.