At least 11 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school being used as a shelter by refugee families in northern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
According to the refugee ministry, women and children were among the dead taken to hospital after the attack on the al-Falluja school in the city’s Jabalia refugee camp.
The Israeli military said it had targeted a “command and control center” used by Hamas fighters with a “precise” strike, a claim previously denied by the militant group.
The Hamas-run civil defense agency said thousands of Palestinians were living there and the death toll was 15.
Meanwhile, local medics told Reuters that at least 14 people had died.
One resident, Rami Abdul Nabi, said it felt “like an earthquake” when the school was hit by two missiles and exploded.
“This is supposed to be a place where refugees can find refuge, people who have no choice,” he told Reuters. “It was a shocking massacre.”
Shelters for the 1.9 million Palestinians who have fled their homes since the war between Israel and Hamas began a year ago have been converted into schools.
But a satellite analysis by the United Nations and its partners found that more than 61% of schools had been directly affected by the conflict, and 24% had been damaged.
Israeli aircraft reportedly struck three schools in northern and central Gaza between Saturday and Monday, killing at least 32 people.
The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas command post on Thursday, similar to the airstrike on Camp Jabalia, and took steps to reduce the risk of harm to civilians.
It also accused Hamas of systematically violating international law by conducting operations inside civilian infrastructure.
The Israeli military launched an operation to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack by the group on southern Israel on October 7 that left some 1,200 people dead and 251 hostage.
More than 41,150 people have died in Gaza since then, according to the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas – a rival of Hamas and based in the occupied West Bank – appealed to world leaders to end the war.
“Stop this crime. Stop it now. Stop killing children and women. Stop the massacre. Stop sending weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue,” he said.
Israel’s UN ambassador Dani Danon condemned the speech, saying Abbas “never once used the word ‘Hamas'”.
He added: “Since the October 7 massacre, Abbas has not condemned Hamas’ crimes against humanity.”
The US, Egypt and Qatar are trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal, which they see as key to easing tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. But US officials have acknowledged that talks have stalled in recent weeks.
