At least 22 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced civilians in southern Gaza City on Saturday, Palestinian officials reported. The Israeli military countered that the attack targeted a Hamas command center.
Gaza’s Health Ministry stated that most victims were women and children. The Hamas-run government media office specified that 13 children and six women were among the dead.
The Israeli military asserted it struck a Hamas command center embedded within the compound, which previously served as a school. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilian facilities for military purposes, a claim the group denies.
Reuters footage from the scene showed extensive damage, including blasted walls, destroyed furniture, and ceiling holes. Witnesses described a sudden attack on civilians in the school’s playground.
“The women and their children were sitting in the playground of the school, the kids were playing, and suddenly two rockets hit them,” said witness Said Al-Malahi.
Some victims were wrapped in blankets and transported on donkey carts, while ambulances carried away other bodies.
In a separate incident in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry reported four health workers killed by an Israeli strike on ministry warehouses. Ambulance crews were reportedly unable to reach the dead or treat the wounded.
The Israeli military stated that forces operating in Rafah since May have killed dozens of militants and dismantled military infrastructure in recent weeks.
These incidents occur amid ongoing international efforts to broker a ceasefire. Major sticking points include Israel’s demand to control the southern border between Rafah and Egypt, and disagreements over hostage exchanges.
The conflict, which began on October 7 with a Hamas attack on Israel, has resulted in over 41,000 Palestinian deaths and displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, according to local health authorities.
