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.”
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.