Israeli airstrike on Gaza school kills 30, injures over 100 Conflict escalates

At least 30 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 others wounded in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials.

The school, located in an area densely populated with displaced families, was struck early today, on July 27, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The Israeli military confirmed the strike, stating it had targeted a Hamas command and control center located within the Khadija school compound. According to their statement, the school was reportedly used as a base for launching attacks against Israeli troops and as a weapons cache. The military claimed that warnings were issued to civilians before the strike took place.

The casualties were rushed to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where medics described a chaotic scene with injured individuals arriving by ambulance and on foot, many with severe injuries.

In a related development, Palestinian official media reported that at least 14 Palestinians were killed earlier today in southern Gaza's Khan Younis due to Israeli attacks. The bodies of these victims were transported to Nasser Medical Complex. The Israeli military had earlier advised residents to evacuate southern Khan Younis to avoid further casualties as they conducted what they described as necessary operations in the area.

Additional reports indicate that five Palestinians were killed in an airstrike on a house in Al-Bureij refugee camp, while four more were killed in a separate strike on a house in Rafah, near the border with Egypt.

The ongoing conflict has drawn criticism from U.N. and humanitarian officials, who accuse Israel of employing disproportionate force and failing to provide adequate safe havens for civilians. The Israeli military maintains that its actions are directed at militant targets and insists it takes measures to minimize civilian harm.

The fighting, more than nine months after the start of Israel's invasion of Gaza following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack, underlined the difficulty the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has in eliminating fighters of the group amid continued resistance.

More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes in the enclave, according to Gaza health authorities, who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.

Israeli officials estimate that some 14,000 fighters from militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been killed or taken prisoner, out of a force they estimated to number more than 25,000 at the start of the war.

Around 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage in the Oct. 7 raid on southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies.