Gaza's civil defence agency said Saturday an Israeli air strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians killed 93 people, as Israel's military accused militants of using the building as a command centre. AFP could not independently verify the toll which, if confirmed, would appear to be one of the largest from a single strike during 10 months of war between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants. Hamas denounced the "dangerous escalation" in north Gaza, which came after international mediators invited the warring sides to resume next Thursday talks towards a long-sought ceasefire and hostage-release deal.
Jordan's foreign ministry said the timing of the school strike "is an indication of the Israeli government's efforts to obstruct and thwart these efforts." Civil defence in the Hamas-ruled territory said three Israeli missiles hit the school in Gaza City while people performed dawn prayers. "Their bodies were torn apart," civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
"It reminds us of the first days of the war in the Gaza Strip." With most of Gaza's 2.4 million people displaced during the war started by Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, many have sought refuge in school buildings, which have been hit at least 14 times since July 6, according to an AFP tally.
Israel's army said Saturday it had "precisely struck Hamas terrorists operating within a Hamas command and control centre embedded in the Al-Tabieen school". The military has repeatedly made similar accus.