An Israeli strike early Thursday on a school-turned-shelter in central Gaza that the military claimed was being used as a Hamas compound killed at least 39 people, including five children, according to local health officials. The death toll may increase, an official said.
The strike came after the military said it was launching new air and ground operations in central Gaza in an apparent widening of its nearly eight-month offensive, launched after Hamas' October 7 attack. An international medical charity had reported soaring casualties even before Thursday's strike.
VIDEO: Bodies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah received at least 30 bodies
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah received at least 30 bodies from the strike on the school run by the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees — known by the acronym UNRWA — and another six from a separate strike on a home. Hamas-run TV had earlier reported a higher toll.
Mohammed al-Kareem, a displaced Palestinian sheltering near the hospital, described chaotic scenes outside the facility. He said vehicles arrived one after the other, as distressed people rushed wounded people into the emergency department. Videos circulating online appeared to show several wounded people being treated on the floor of the hospital, a common scene in Gaza's overwhelmed medical wards.
Later, he saw people searching for their loved ones among bodies wrapped in white shrouds in the hospital courtyard. He said one woman kept asking medical workers to open them up to see if her son was inside. "The situation is tragic," he said.
What Israeli military says
The Israeli military said its fighter jets struck the school that it claimed, without immediately offering evidence, that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad used as cover for their operations. UNRWA schools across Gaza have functioned as shelters since the start of the war, which has displaced most of the territory's population of 2.3 million Palestinians. “Before the strike, a number of steps were taken to reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians during the strike, including conducting aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence information,” the Israeli military said.
Both strikes occurred in Nuseirat, one of several built-up refugee camps in Gaza dating back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes in what became the new state.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the country's northern border with Lebanon and said Israel was prepared for strong action in the north. Israeli towns near the border, many of which have been evacuated, have been a frequent target of rocket and drone launches from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The rockets set off massive wildfires this week, burning swathes of land across northern Israel.
(With inputs from agencies)
