Israel strike on Gaza school kills more than 100, Palestinian news agency says

The Hamas-run media office says strike targeted displaced people performing prayers while Israel says it hit a Hamas command centre

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip Aug 8, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

More than 100 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike on a Gaza school sheltering displaced people, the official Palestinian news agency said on Saturday, while the Israeli army said it had hit a Hamas command centre.

"The Israeli strikes targeted the displaced people while performing Fajr (dawn) prayers, a matter that led to a rapid increase in the number of casualties," the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said in a statement.

In its statement, the Israeli army said its air forces "struck the command and control centre which served as a hideout for Hamas terrorists and commanders."

"The IAF precisely struck Hamas terrorists operating within a Hamas command and control centre embedded in the Al-Taba’een school and located adjacent to a mosque in Daraj Tuffah, which serves as a shelter for the residents of Gaza City."

"Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information," it added.