Israeli strike on Gaza school leaves dozens dead

At least 22 people were killed in an Israeli attack on a former school building in Gaza City, Palestinian authorities said on Saturday.

At least 30 people were injured, including women and children, the health authority in Gaza said. Displaced people are said to have been sheltering inside the building.

According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Civil Defence, volunteers are currently trying to free victims from under the building’s rubble. The death toll could therefore rise further, it said.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa had earlier reported of another Israeli attack on a former school building in the same neighborhood, saying dozens more were injured there.

The Israeli army said upon request that it was not aware of a second such strike in the area.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims from either side.

Fighting also continues in the south of Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

According to the Gaza health authority, five of its employees were killed in an Israeli attack on a warehouse for medical equipment in the south of the coastal area. When asked, Israel’s army said it would look into the reports.

At least 41,391 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the war triggered by the October 7 attacks began, according to local health authorities in Gaza.

That day saw Palestinian fighters, led by Hamas, launch a rampage through communities in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 more back to Gaza.

Negotiations for a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel and the return of the remaining hostages, mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt, have been at an impasse for months