An Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza early Saturday, killing at least 80 people, Palestinian health authorities said, in one of the deadliest strikes in the 10-month-old war between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli military acknowledged it targeted the Tabeen school in central Gaza City, claiming it hit a Hamas command center within the school. Hamas denied that.
Empty food tins lay in a puddle of blood and burnt mattresses and a child’s doll lay among the debris. Gaza’s government media office issued a statement calling the attack a “horrific massacre”, adding that the strikes hit when people sheltering at the school were performing Fajr (dawn) prayers, leading to a large number of casualties.
“So far, there are more than 93 martyrs, including 11 children and six women. There are unidentified remains,” said Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defence emergency services. Israel’s military, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), disputed the casualty figures, saying they “do not align with the information held by the IDF”.
The Gaza health ministry has not provided casualty details so far.
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