An Israeli airstrike on a UN school sheltering hundreds of displaced individuals in central Gaza has resulted in over 20 fatalities, according to local residents. The Israeli military confirmed the strike on the UN school, alleging it housed a “Hamas compound.”
Local journalists reported that an Israeli warplane fired two missiles at classrooms on the top floor of the school in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The Hamas media office reported at least 27 casualties, condemning the strike as a “horrific massacre.” Ambulances and rescue teams were seen transporting the wounded and deceased to a nearby hospital.
Footage on social media depicted destroyed classrooms and bodies wrapped in shrouds in a morgue. “Enough war! We have been displaced dozens of times. They killed our children while they were sleeping,” cried a woman injured in the attack in one video.
Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas media office, rejected Israel’s claims of a hidden Hamas command post in the UN school. “The occupation uses … false fabricated stories to justify the brutal crime it conducted against dozens of displaced people,” he told Reuters.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that jets executed a “precise strike on a Hamas compound embedded inside an UNRWA school in the area of Nuseirat.” The IDF asserted the strike “eliminated” Hamas and Islamic Jihad “terrorists” involved in the October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
Since the conflict began, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported at least 36,580 fatalities. The IDF claimed to have taken precautions before the airstrike to “reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians.”
Earlier, the Israeli military announced it had gained “operational control” over eastern Bureij refugee camp and the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, with numerous Palestinian casualties reported.
On Wednesday morning, military forces, supported by airstrikes, initiated an operation targeting “terrorists and terrorist infrastructure above and below ground,” leading to intense bombardment. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported at least 70 deaths—predominantly women and children—brought to a local hospital since Tuesday.
MSF described the situation at Deir al-Balah’s al-Aqsa hospital as “apocalyptic,” with women and children comprising most of the 70 deceased and 300 wounded. Patients suffered severe burns, shrapnel wounds, fractures, and other traumatic injuries. MSF medical referent Karin Huster described the overwhelming scene in the emergency room, filled with bodies in white plastic bags and families praying over them.
“It’s just an emotionally overwhelming situation. It’s impossible for anyone to cope,” Huster said in an audio message.
