At least 16 people have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a UN-run school in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian officials. The strike also injured dozens more.
The school, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, was sheltering thousands of displaced people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Video footage from the scene shows adults and children screaming in a smoke-filled street covered in dust and rubble as they rush to help the wounded.
Israel stated that the strike targeted several Hamas “terrorists operating in structures located in the area of Al-Jaouni School.” Eyewitnesses told the BBC that the upper floors of the school, near a busy market, were targeted. Up to 7,000 people were reportedly using the building as shelter.
A woman told the AFP news agency that some children were killed while reading the Koran when the building was hit. She stated, “This is the fourth time they have targeted the school without warning.”
Hamas reported that five local journalists were among those killed in Israeli attacks on Saturday, with members of their families also reportedly targeted. More than 100 journalists have lost their lives in Gaza since October 7.
A senior Hamas source told Reuters that the group had agreed to begin talks on releasing Israeli hostages 16 days after the proposed first phase of an agreement aimed at ending the Gaza war.