An Israeli air strike on a United Nations school in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 27 people, according to Palestinian authorities
Before now, the school, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp, was housing hundreds of people who had been displaced by the ongoing war.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, stating it targeted a “Hamas compound” within the school.
Local journalists reported that two missiles were fired at classrooms on the top floor of the school by an Israeli warplane.
The Hamas media office reported at least 27 fatalities from the strike and accused Israel of perpetrating a “horrific massacre.”
According to reports, ambulances and rescue teams were seen rushing to transport the injured and deceased to a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, footage on social media showed the aftermath of the strike, with destroyed classrooms and bodies wrapped in destroyed buildings.
Ismail al-Thawabta, the director of the Hamas media office, denied Israeli claims that the school concealed a Hamas command post. “The occupation uses false fabricated stories to justify the brutal crime it conducted against dozens of displaced people,” he told Reuters.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the strike as a “precise” operation against a Hamas compound embedded within the UNRWA school in Nuseirat. The IDF claimed the strike eliminated Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists involved in the October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken.
Since the war tarted in October, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported at least 36,580 fatalities. The IDF says that measures were taken before the strike to minimize the risk to uninvolved civilians.