Israeli strike on school sheltering Palestinians kills 22: Gaza health ministry

An Israeli airstrike hit a school sheltering people in northern Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 22 people and injuring 30 others, according to the conflict-ridden conclave’s health ministry. The school, located in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City, was targeted as part of ongoing Israeli operations.

In a statement, Israel’s military confirmed that its air force had “conducted a precise strike on terrorists operating within a Hamas command and control centre in Gaza City.”

It stated the strike aimed at a Hamas “command and control center” embedded within the school compound. The army has consistently accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure, including schools and UN facilities, for military purposes, which it claims is a violation of international law.

However, as per a statement from the Hamas-run government media office, among the dead were 13 children, six women, and a three-month-old baby, which described the attack as a “horrific massacre.”

“There were around 30 injured, including nine children requiring limb amputations, following an Israeli bombing on Al-Zaytoun school C in Gaza City,” said Gaza civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal, as quoted by The Guardian. He added that thousands of displaced people had sought refuge at the school.

The latest Israeli strike on Gaza schools follows a similar attack on the UN-run Al-Jawni school on 11 September, which killed 18 people, including six UN staffers, sparking international outcry. Israel accuses Hamas of using school buildings to hide, a claim the militant group denies.

The conflict began on October 7 when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 250, with about 100 hostages still held.

Since then, Israeli military actions in Gaza have resulted in over 41,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

(With Inputs from Associated Press)

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