Israel airstrike on Gaza school kills more than 100: govt media office

More than 100 Palestinians were killed, and dozens were injured in an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza school that was sheltering displaced individuals, the Gaza government reported on Saturday.

The strikes occurred during dawn prayers, resulting in significant casualties, according to a statement from the media office. Medics have not yet been able to reach all of the victims, the statement added. There was no immediate information available from Gaza’s health authorities.

Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that the death toll from the recent Israeli strike had risen to over 90. AFP could not independently verify this number, but if confirmed, it would be one of the highest tolls from a single strike during Israel’s ongoing military offensive against Hamas in Gaza, which has lasted more than 10 months.

“The death toll is now between 90 and 100, with dozens more wounded. Three Israeli rockets struck the school housing displaced Palestinians,” agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

The Israeli military issued a statement claiming its air force targeted a command and control center where Hamas fighters were allegedly hiding. Hamas described the strike as a horrific crime and a serious escalation.

Egypt’s foreign ministry condemned the strike, which occurred as mediators were working to resume ceasefire talks, and stated that the killing of Gaza civilians demonstrated Israel’s lack of intention to end the conflict.

This incident brings the total number of schools struck in Gaza since July 6 to at least 14, with over 280 people killed, according to an AFP tally based on previous official reports.

AFPTV live footage from the scene showed a large complex with a courtyard littered with debris both inside and outside. Part of the structure appeared to be a mosque, with its upper story partially destroyed and charred. The images showed bodies wrapped in white shrouds, bloodstains on the ground, and smoke rising from the rubble.

Israel alleges that Hamas operates among Gaza’s civilian population, using schools, hospitals, and designated humanitarian zones as bases, a claim Hamas denies. An Israeli military spokesperson stated that around 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters were operating out of the school.

“The compound, including the mosque that was struck, served as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility,” Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said on X. He also suggested that the casualty figures reported by the Gaza media office “do not align with the information held by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), the precise munitions used, and the accuracy of the strike.”

The military emphasized that it had taken measures to minimize civilian harm, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information. However, it did not immediately comment on the casualty reports from Gaza.

Ceasefire efforts Egypt, the United States, and Qatar have scheduled a new round of ceasefire talks for Thursday, amid growing concerns of a broader conflict involving Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has stated that hostilities will not end until Hamas no longer poses a threat to Israelis, announced that a delegation would be sent to the August 15 talks.

A Hamas official told Reuters that the group was reviewing the new offer for talks but did not provide further details.

Israel launched its offensive on Gaza after Hamas fighters entered southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports.

Since then, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. Health officials report that most of the fatalities have been civilians. Israel, which has lost 329 in Gaza, claims that at least a third of the Palestinian fatalities are fighters. Hamas does not publish its casualty figures.