Dozens killed in Gaza school attack – Israeli military says it was used by Hamas

The Israeli military launched an airstrike overnight on a UN refugee agency school in the central Gaza Strip, claiming it was Hamas-affiliated. Local health officials said the attack killed dozens of displaced civilians, including children.

Early Thursday morning, Israeli forces said they had launched a “precise strike” on a Hamas compound, allegedly located in the UNRWA school in the Nuseirat refugee camp area, killing militants involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had taken “a number of steps” to reduce the risk of civilian harm during the attack, including aerial surveillance and “additional intelligence.”

According to the Associated Press, local health officials said at least 30 people were killed, including 23 women and children, and dozens injured.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital said the death toll could be even higher, saying up to 40 bodies had been brought there.

UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma told NBC News the number of people killed in the Israeli offensive on the Nuseirat school was between 35 and 45, but added that the organization could not confirm exact figures at this time.

She said UNRWA was unable to confirm the Israeli military’s claim that the school was being used by Hamas fighters.

Witnesses and hospital workers said the attack hit the UNRWA-run al-Sardi school, the AP reported. They said the school was full of Palestinians fleeing the Israeli offensive and bombings in northern Gaza.

Ayman Rashed, who was at the school after being expelled from Gaza City, told AP that rockets hit classrooms on the second and third floors of the facility where families had sought shelter. He said he helped carry out five of the dead, including an elderly man and two children.

“It was dark, there was no electricity and we struggled to get the victims out,” Rashed said.

The attack came after the military announced it would launch new operations in the region, expanding its months-long offensive in the enclave. Israel also faces growing backlash on the world stage after a “targeted” attack apparently sparked a deadly fire that swept through a tent camp of displaced civilians, killing at least 45 people.

Images emerged from the attack showing screaming Palestinians fleeing for their lives and helping the injured. Videos were shared on social media showing the burned bodies of those killed. In one video, a man was seen holding up the headless body of a small child.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the May 26 attack.

While witnesses said the school hit in the latest Israeli force attack was full of Palestinians fleeing fighting in northern Gaza, Nuseirat is also one of several areas where hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians have fled in recent weeks after Israeli forces launched ground operations in Rafah last month and ordered evacuations of the southern Gaza town, which Israel had previously declared a “security zone.”

Israeli forces have declared nearby Muwasi a humanitarian sanctuary and a “safe” zone for Palestinians, but overcrowding at the site and fears for their safety have forced many to seek shelter elsewhere.

Since Israel launched its offensive on the enclave following the Hamas attacks on October 7, more than 36,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. Israeli authorities say around 1,200 people have been killed and around 250 taken hostage. Around 120 people are still being held in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead, Israeli authorities said.