Israeli strike on Gaza school shelter kills at least 7

NEW DELHI: At least seven people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza on Sunday, according to local civil defense rescuers. The Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas militants operating from the school grounds.
"Seven martyrs and a number of wounded, including serious cases, as a result of Israeli shelling of Kafr Qasim School," said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense agency.The school, located in the Al-Shati refugee camp, was sheltering hundreds of displaced Gazans, according to Bassal.
The Israeli military confirmed targeting Palestinian militants at the school, stating that it took steps to "mitigate the risk of harm to uninvolved civilians" by using "precise munitions" and surveillance. It added that the air force had "conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip" who were "operating from a compound" at the school complex. However, the military did not provide information on casualties.
Sunday's strike was a part of series of Israeli attacks on schools being used as shelters in Gaza, where conflict has been ongoing for almost a year. Just a day earlier, another strike on a school in Gaza City left 21 people dead.
The UN-run Al-Jawni School in central Gaza was also hit on September 21, killing 18 people, including six UNRWA staff members, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The strike sparked global outrage.
The Israeli military accused Hamas of using schools as hideouts, a charge the militant group denies. The ongoing conflict has displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents, with many seeking refuge in school buildings.
Since the start of Israel’s military campaign, at least 41,391 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed, according to Gaza's health ministry, with the United Nations recognizing these figures as reliable. The conflict began following an October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in 1,205 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians, including hostages killed in captivity.
Of the 251 people taken hostage in the initial attack, 97 remain in captivity in Gaza, with 33 confirmed dead, according to the Israeli military.