Rescuers in Gaza said an Israeli air strike on a religious school housing displaced Palestinians killed 93 people on Saturday, sparking international condemnation despite Israel's insistence that it was targeting militants. AFP could not independently verify the toll which, if confirmed, would be one of the largest from a single strike during 10 months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants since Hamas's October 7 attack. The bombardment of Al-Tabieen school and mosque drew criticism from across the Middle East and beyond alongside calls for a ceasefire, after international mediators invited the warring sides to resume talks towards a long-sought truce and hostage-release deal.
Civil defence rescuers in the Hamas-ruled territory said three Israeli missiles hit the complex in Gaza City while people were performing dawn prayers. "They dropped a missile on them while they were just praying," said one woman, mourning over a dead child shrouded in a plastic body bag. Israel's military said it had "precisely struck" Al-Tabieen, which spokesman Nadav Shoshani added on social media platform X housed a "military facility" with "approximately 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants" including commanders.
Hamas denounced the "dangerous escalation", while the Palestinian group's Lebanese ally Hezbollah called it a "horrific massacre". Iran, which backs both militant groups and had accused Israel of wanting to spread war in the Middle East following high-profile killings in Tehran a.