At least 80 people were killed and nearly 50 others were injured in an Israel airstrike early Saturday that hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza, local officials said.
The Israeli military acknowledged the strike and claimed the school was a Hamas command center, though Hamas denies that claim.
The facility, like most schools in Gaza, was being used to house Palestinians who were forced to flee their homes because of the war. But as of July 6, the United Nations reports 477 of Gaza’s 564 schools have been directly hit or damaged in the war, with at least 21 strikes since July 4 leaving hundreds dead.
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Saturday’s attack is now one of the deadliest since the war between Israel and Hamas began 10 months ago, and officials believe the death toll is expected to rise.
Fadel Naeem, the director of Gaza City’s al-Ahli hospital, told The Associated Press the attack produced some of “the most serious injuries we encountered during the war,” including severe burn wounds and many needing their limbs amputated.
Israeli airstrike on Gaza shelter kills at least 80, wounds nearly 50 others
A witness who worked at the shelter said many people were praying inside the school’s mosque or were sleeping when the strike hit unexpectedly, with three missiles hitting the two-story building in total, the AP reported.
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In a post on X, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said the country’s intelligence found at least 20 Hamas and “Islamic Jihad militants” operating inside the compound, “using it to carry out terrorist attacks.”
The spokesperson also said an “initial review” showed Gaza’s reports on the death toll, the “precise munitions used” and the strike’s accuracy doesn’t align with that of the IDF.
Meanwhile, National Security Council Spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement that U.S. officials have asked their Israeli counterparts for additional details about the country’s targets.
“We know Hamas has been using schools as locations to gather and operate out of, but we have also said repeatedly and consistently that Israel must take measures to minimize civilian harm,” the statement read. “We mourn every Palestinian civilian lost in this conflict, including children, and far too many civilians continue to be killed and wounded. This underscores the urgency of a ceasefire and hostage deal, which we continue to work tirelessly to achieve.”
