An Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in the Gaza Strip killed at least 27 people on Thursday, with the toll likely to rise, Palestinian medical officials said. The Israeli military said it targeted militants hiding among civilians.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were brought, confirmed the toll from the strike in the central town of Deir al-Balah. It said several other people were wounded.
An Associated Press reporter saw ambulances streaming into the hospital and counted the bodies, many of which arrived in pieces.
“We appeal to the world. We are dying!” one man screamed.
The Israeli military said it carried out a precise strike targeting a militant command and control center inside the school, without providing evidence. Israel has repeatedly attacked schools that were turned into shelters in Gaza, accusing militants of hiding out in them.
More than 42,065 Palestinians have been killed and 97,886 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
