Israeli airstrike on school in Gaza Strip kills several displaced Palestinians

At least twelve Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a school in Gaza City, according to civil defense officials in the enclave.

Warplanes struck the Mustafa Hafez School in central Gaza on Tuesday morning. Most school buildings in the besieged Strip are now being used to house people displaced by Israel's war on Gaza.

Two children were among those killed in the attack after a bomb hit the second floor of the school, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

About 700 displaced Palestinians found shelter in the Mustafa Hafez School, one of the main evacuation centers in western Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.

Basal said 15 people were injured in the Israeli attack and others were missing under the rubble of the building as rescue workers were unable to reach them due to a lack of equipment.

The Israeli military said: “Hamas terrorists used the command and control center to plan and carry out attacks against IDF forces and the State of Israel.”

It was claimed that a “precise strike was carried out against terrorists operating in the school.” No evidence was provided to support this claim.

Israeli authorities have repeatedly justified their attacks on schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure by claiming they were directed against Hamas militants, but have provided little evidence to support these claims.

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Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces attacked the facility without warning. Victims of the attack were taken to Al-Ahli Hospital for treatment, the report added.

Earlier this month, an Israeli attack on the Al-Tabin school in Gaza City killed at least 100 Palestinian civilians, including women and children, while displaced people were performing their morning prayers.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Tuesday that at least 34 people had been killed in Israeli attacks on the enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll since October 7 to 40,173.

In addition, 92,857 people have been wounded since the beginning of the war.