Israeli forces have bombed a United Nations-linked school in central Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 37 displaced Palestinians and injuring dozens more. The attack occurred at the al-Sardi school and nearby homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to local officials and media reports.
Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza confirmed on Thursday that it had received the bodies of 37 individuals killed in the strike. The facility reported being overwhelmed with casualties, with injuries extending beyond its clinical capacity.
Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, condemned the predawn attack as a “horrible massacre,” noting that many of the victims were women and children. The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering at al-Sardi school, which is associated with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), when the attack occurred.
Ismail al-Thawabta, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Government Media Office, stated that the Al-Aqsa Hospital was inundated with “huge numbers of dead and wounded,” describing the situation as a disaster likely to result in an even greater increase in casualties.
“This horrible massacre committed by the Israeli occupation is clear evidence of genocide, ethnic cleansing against civilians, including women and children and displaced people in the Gaza Strip,” al-Thawabta told reporters.
The Israeli military confirmed the bombing, asserting that its fighter jets targeted a “Hamas compound embedded inside an UNRWA school in the area of Nuseirat.” The military claimed the strike eliminated terrorists planning attacks against Israeli forces. Hamas, however, rejected this justification, accusing Israel of fabricating stories to justify the attack on civilians.
The bombing of the al-Sardi school occurred as Israeli forces intensified their bombardment of Gaza. This latest attack comes amid efforts by the United States and other mediators to secure a ceasefire.
Reports from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza that, prior to the attack on Nuseirat, Israeli forces had killed at least 102 people in 24 hours, including attacks on the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) described the situation in Gaza as “apocalyptic,” highlighting that Al-Aqsa Hospital had received 70 dead and more than 300 injured since Tuesday, with the majority of casualties being women and children. The healthcare system is on the brink of collapse due to the continuous violence and the closure of the Rafah border crossing, which has halted most humanitarian aid deliveries.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 36,586 Palestinians and injuries to 83,074 in Israel’s eight-month war on Gaza. This brutal assault began after Hamas launched attacks inside Israel on October 7 of the previous year, killing 1,139 people and taking dozens captive.