At least 22 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in an Israeli strike on a school compound Saturday, Palestinian officials said, with Israel saying it targeted Hamas fighters sheltering there.
A spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defense, Mahmoud Basal, said the missile hit the Al-Zaytoun School, near Gaza City, where thousands were sheltering.
The Government Media Office in Gaza said 13 children, including a 3-month-old infant were killed. Other children needed amputations, the GMO said.
The Israeli military said that the compound was being used as a Hamas command center and precautions had been taken to avoid civilian casualties.
Aircraft “conducted a precise strike on terrorists who were operating inside a Hamas command and control center in Gaza City” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
“The command and control center, which was embedded inside a compound that previously served as the Al Falah School, was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and carry out terrorist attacks.”
CNN is unable to verify whether Hamas operatives were present at the compound. The IDF has frequently accused Hamas of using schools and hospitals from which to direct operations.
A CNN stringer filming the aftermath said that Civil Defense workers said that at least 20 people were killed. Video from the scene showed multiple casualties as rescue workers scrambled through debris.
A woman who had been staying at the school told CNN: “There was no warning. We were sitting in the schools, and suddenly missiles started raining down on us. There was no warning. Where is the conscience?”
The woman, who did not give her name, added: “My message is that this war and the bloodshed should make you wake up. All of you are numb and don’t feel anything … No schools, no hospitals, no food, no water. Shame on you.”
A girl who said her name was Amal, and was also sheltering at the school, asked: “What have we, the children, done to wake up and go to sleep in fear? At least stop the bombing of schools. We have no schools, no homes — where should we go?
“Everyone was martyred, all of them were martyred, torn to pieces,” she said.
“The Arab countries are afraid and don’t want to intervene — why are you scared? What is our fault? Call for a truce and end this. What’s wrong with you?” asked Amal.
Amid a flare-up in tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Israel continues to operate in Gaza where it is seeking to destroy Hamas following the October 7 attacks, claiming the killing of a prominent Hamas operative and several other fighters.
The IDF also said Saturday that troops had recently detected “armed militants” robbing a humanitarian aid truck in the Rafah area, without giving a date.
While securing the humanitarian route, the IDF said, “troops identified armed militants robbing a humanitarian aid truck. In a swift operation, the troops directed drones that located the militants fleeing in a car, and they were eliminated by IAF aircraft.”
The security of humanitarian convoys has been an issue for aid agencies, with looting a frequent problem.
Khader Al-Za’anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, contributed reporting.