An Israeli air strike on a school building sheltering displaced Palestinians has killed dozens of people, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency.
The Israeli military confirmed the attack but said it had targeted a Hamas command centre.
The strikes hit when people sheltering at the school were performing dawn prayers, leading to many casualties, the Hamas media office said in a statement, adding medics had not yet been able to reach all the bodies.
The civil defence agency said at least 90 people were killed and dozens injured. The Telegraph has not been able to verify the figures.
The Israeli military said in a statement that its air force targeted a command and control centre where Hamas commanders and operatives were hiding, “embedded” in Al-Tabi’een school in the Daraj neighbourhood..
The military said it had taken steps to reduce the risk of harming civilians, “including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information”. It did not immediately comment on the casualty reports from Gaza.
According to the United Nations, 477 out of 564 schools in Gaza have been directly hit or damaged in the war as of July 6. In June, an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza killed at least 33 people, including 12 women and children, according to local health officials.
Israel has blamed the civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying the group endangers noncombatants by using schools and residential neighbourhoods as bases for operations and attacks.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar are trying to revive Gaza ceasefire talks, scheduling a new round of negotiations for Thursday, as fears are growing of a broader conflict, involving Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. Teheran also backs Hamas.
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