Jerusalem, Israel (DT) – At least 18 Palestinians were killed Thursday after Israel bombed a school housing displaced persons in Nuseirat refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian medical sources.
The strike, which mostly killed children and elderly people, also wounded at least 42 others, medical sources at Al Awda hospital in Nuseirat said, warning that the casualty toll could rise further.
The bombing targeted the Al Suhada school in Nuseirat, which was housing hundreds of displaced people, according to Palestinian media.
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In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike had targeted “Hamas terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center (…) which was embedded inside a compound that previously served” as a school.
The IDF added that “numerous steps” had been taken prior to the strike to limit harm to civilians.
In recent hours, Israeli artillery attacks have also been reported in Bureij, a refugee camp near Nuseirat, with one death confirmed so far.
In the southern city of Khan Yunis, another Israeli strike on a house killed three people, according to Palestinian sources.
At least 55 Palestinians have been killed and 132 wounded in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours amid an Israeli offensive targeting the towns of Beit Lahia and Jabalia in the north of the enclave.
Over 800 people have been killed since the siege of northern Gaza began on Oct. 4, when Israel ordered civilians to evacuate the area.
According to the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry, 42,847 people – the majority civilians, women and children – have been killed and over 100,000 wounded since the conflict escalated over a year ago.
An estimated 10,000 bodies are also believed to be buried under the rubble of the enclave’s destroyed buildings.
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