Gaza Rescuers Report 14 Killed in Israeli Strike on School

AFP/APP

Gaza Strip: An Israeli airstrike on Wednesday hit a school in central Gaza, which had been turned into a displacement shelter. The civil defense agency in the Hamas-run territory reported that 14 people were killed in the strike, while the Israeli military claimed it targeted militants.

The majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once since the war began, following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. Many have sought refuge in school buildings, which have been repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces. Israel claims that Palestinian fighters are operating from these locations and hiding among displaced civilians, a charge denied by Hamas.

The Al-Jawni school in Nuseirat, central Gaza, was struck again on Wednesday. Civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal reported that the death toll had risen to 14, including several women and children, and numerous others were wounded. This school had previously been hit multiple times during the conflict.

The Israeli military stated that its air force conducted a “precise strike” on a Hamas command-and-control center located within the school grounds but did not provide details on the outcome or the identities of those targeted. According to the Hamas government media office, around 5,000 displaced individuals were sheltering at the school when it was hit.

Al-Jawni school has been attacked at least five times in the past 11 months. In July, an Israeli airstrike on the same school killed at least 16 people, which Israel claimed were “terrorists.”

Since the October 7 attack, Israel’s military offensive has resulted in at least 41,084 deaths in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. The UN rights office reports that most of the casualties are women and children.