Joe McConnell
Gaza’s Hamas-controlled civil defense agency says dozens of people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a shelter in a Gaza City school.
The Israeli military said it struck the site on Saturday, describing the target as a Hamas command center located in the school.
According to Gaza’s civil defense agency, the attack in the Daraj district killed at least 90 people and wounded dozens.
The BBC was unable to independently verify the figures.
“The death toll is now between 90 and 100 and dozens of people have been injured,” agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP news agency.
“Three Israeli rockets hit the school housing displaced Palestinians.”
Earlier, in a Telegram post, he described the scene as a “terrible massacre”, saying that teams were trying to put out a fire to save the injured and recover bodies.
The Israeli military said it “precisely targeted Hamas terrorists operating inside a Hamas command and control center nestled in Al-Taba’een School.”
Earlier this week, the Israel Defense Forces said it had targeted Hamas “command and control centers” inside two schools in Gaza City.
On October 7, in an attack on Israel, Hamas-led gunmen killed around 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage in Gaza.
That attack triggered a massive Israeli military offensive against Gaza and the ongoing war.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-led Health Ministry, more than 39,600 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli campaign.
