Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip killed 19 Palestinians, including children, at a school in Jabalia that was housing displaced people, medics reported to Reuters on Thursday. The Abu Hussein school in Jabalia, northern Gaza, was serving as a shelter for displaced people, according to Medhat Abbas, a Gaza health ministry official who spoke to Reuters.
He reported that dozens of people were injured in the strike and mentioned that there was no water available to put out the fire, describing the situation as dire. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the airstrike targeted a group of Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants who had gathered at the location.
Many in critical condition
Fares Abu Hamza, who heads the emergency unit at the Gaza health ministry in the northern region, noted that the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital was struggling to care for the wounded. He indicated that many women and children were in critical condition.
According to footage shared by AP, emergency responders were seen evacuating the injured from the compound amid debris and large crowds. Earlier in the week, Israeli forces had also attacked another school in Nuseirat, central Gaza, resulting in 23 deaths.
Israel has been conducting a large-scale air and ground operation in northern Gaza for over a week. Following the latest attack, Israel released a list of names it claimed were militants who were at the site when the strike occurred.
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