Israeli airstrikes targeting a mosque and school in Gaza have led to multiple deaths, officials confirm. Learn more about the impact of this latest escalation.
Local officials reported that at least 24 Palestinians were killed in two Israeli strikes on a mosque and a school in Gaza. The Israeli military claims these facilities were being used by Hamas operatives.
The Gaza Government Media Office claimed that Israel carried out “two brutal massacres” on Sunday. According to their statement on Telegram, the strikes were directed at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque, located next to a hospital, and the Ibn Rushd school. They noted that both sites sheltered “hundreds of displaced people.”
The attack claimed the lives of two dozen people and injured an additional 93, it added.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed the airstrikes, stating that their warplanes targeted “Hamas terrorists” operating within a facility that was formerly a school. They also mentioned that the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was bombed as well, functioned as a command-and-control center.
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“The IDF stated that these command and control centers were utilized by Hamas terrorists to orchestrate and carry out attacks against IDF forces and the State of Israel. They also mentioned that ‘numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians’ before launching the attack, highlighting this incident as ‘a further example of how the Hamas terrorist organization systematically abuses civilian infrastructure.'”
Israel has faced significant criticism for what many describe as indiscriminate attacks on the Palestinian enclave, alongside a ground operation that has caused unprecedented destruction in the region. West Jerusalem initiated its offensive on Gaza following an unexpected attack by Hamas last October. According to official reports, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has resulted in over 41,000 Palestinian and 1,100 Israeli deaths so far.
