CAIRO – More than 100 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli raid on a Gaza school housing displaced persons on Saturday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza government. The Israeli military said the strike was targeting a Hamas command center.
The strikes occurred as those sheltering at the school were practicing dawn prayers, resulting in numerous casualties, according to a statement from the Hamas media office. Medics have not yet been able to access all of the bodies, it stated.
Gaza’s health authorities had no immediate information.
According to a statement from the Israeli military, the air force struck a command and control center where Hamas commanders and operatives were hiding.
The military stated it had taken precautions to decrease the chance of hurting people, “including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information”. It did not immediately respond to the casualty reports from Gaza.
Israel launched its assault on Gaza, hoping to eliminate Hamas, after the Islamist group’s members rushed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, murdering 1,200 people, largely civilians, and kidnapping more than 250 prisoners, according to Israeli figures.
Since then, the Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed almost 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
According to health experts, the majority of the casualties were civilians. Israel, which has lost 329 people in Gaza, claims at least one-third of the Palestinians killed are fighters.
The United States, Egypt, and Qatar are attempting to resuscitate Gaza ceasefire talks, with a new round of talks scheduled for Thursday, as fears mount of a larger battle involving Iran and its Lebanese partner Hezbollah. Tehran also supports Hamas.
