Israeli strike on Gaza school shelter kills at least 27, say Palestinian officials

An Israeli strike on a school sheltering the displaced in the Gaza Strip killed at least 27 people on Thursday, Palestinian medical officials said.

The Israeli military said it targeted militants hiding among civilians, without providing evidence.

Israel has continued to strike at what it says are militant targets across the Palestinian enclave even as attention has shifted to its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and rising tensions with Iran.

The military launched a large-scale air and ground operation against Hamas in northern Gaza earlier this week.

“We appeal to the world. We are dying!” one man screamed.

The Israeli military said it carried out a precise strike targeting a militant command and control centre inside the school.

Israel has repeatedly attacked schools that were turned into shelters in Gaza, accusing militants of hiding out in them.

They largely vanished from the streets after the start of the war as Israel targeted them with airstrikes, but plainclothes Hamas security personnel still exert control over most areas.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were fighters but say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities.

The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, often multiple times.

“Lethal”

The Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon began firing rockets into Israel on October 8, 2023, in support of Hamas and the Palestinians, drawing Israeli airstrikes in retaliation.

The fighting steadily escalated, and eventually boiled over into all-out war in recent weeks, with Israel carrying out waves of heavy strikes across Lebanon and launching a ground invasion.

Hezbollah has expanded its rocket fire to more populated areas deeper inside Israel, causing few casualties but disrupting daily life.

Iran supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed groups across the region that refer to themselves as the Axis of Resistance against Israel.

Iran launched some 180 ballistic missiles at Israel last week in retaliation for the killing of top Hamas and Hezbollah militants.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that its response to the Iranian missile attack will be “lethal” and “surprising” without providing further details, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President Joe Biden.