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An Israeli airstrike destroyed a shelter for displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Saturday morning, killing about 100 people, according to authorities in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
The attack on Al Taba’een school in the Daraj Tuffah neighbourhood took place during dawn prayers, according to witnesses, with videos on social media showing bodies lying in a makeshift hall.
If confirmed, the death toll would be one of the deadliest Israeli attacks since the start of the war in Gaza, now in its 11th month.
Local authorities in Gaza City called it a “massacre” as rescuers struggled to locate and evacuate the injured from the rubble.
“There are many dangerous wounds. It’s a very bloody day,” said Taisir al-Tanna, a surgeon at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, which received many of the victims of the attack.
He said he has performed numerous amputations, including surgery on at least four children.
The Israeli military confirmed on Saturday that it had struck the school, saying the target was a “Hamas command and control center” where militants were hiding and planning attacks.
“Numerous steps were taken to minimize the risk of harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance and intelligence,” the Israeli military said in a statement, adding that shelter for those displaced by the fighting was in a mosque near the school.
Over the past month, the Israeli military has stepped up attacks on schools across the Gaza Strip, saying Hamas militants are using civilian shelters as operational centres and the displaced residents there as “human shields”.
The Israel Defense Forces later said at least 19 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants were killed in the air strike. They dismissed the death toll reported from inside Gaza.
“The attack was carried out with three types of precision munitions, which, according to expert analysis, could not have caused the level of damage reported by the Hamas-run Government Information Office in Gaza,” the IDF said.
A spokesman for the US National Security Council said it was “deeply concerned” about reports of civilian casualties and was asking Israel to provide “further details”.
“We know that Hamas has used schools as venues for gatherings and operations, but we have also repeatedly and consistently said that Israel must take steps to minimize harm to civilians,” the NSC said in a statement. “This underscores the urgency of a ceasefire and hostage settlement, which we continue to work tirelessly to achieve.”
According to health authorities in the devastated enclave, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began. The conflict was sparked by a Hamas offensive on Israel on October 7 that left 1,200 people dead, according to official Israeli figures. Some 250 Israelis and foreign nationals were taken hostage in Gaza during the offensive, with more than 100 still in captivity.
Saturday’s airstrike came as the United States, Egypt and Qatar continue to push for a deal in Gaza to end fighting and bring Israeli hostages home.
The three countries, which have been trying to mediate between Israel and Hamas for months, issued a statement calling on both sides to “resume urgent discussions in Doha or Cairo to bridge remaining gaps” and “begin implementing the agreement without further delay”.
A meeting has been scheduled for next Thursday, although the prospects remain unclear. The US and its allies see a hostage-exchange truce as the only way to de-escalate hostilities in the region.
Israel remained on edge on Saturday, expecting an attack from Iran and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah movement in retaliation for two recent assassinations of senior military leaders.
An Israeli airstrike killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut late last month, while hours later, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination.
The administration of US President Joe Biden is racing to avoid an all-out war and moving more military assets, including warships and fighter jet squadrons, to the region.
In a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “escalation is not in the interests of any side”.
According to a statement from the US State Department, Blinken “reiterated the urgent need to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza to secure the release of hostages, allow for increased humanitarian assistance, and facilitate broader stability in the region.”
Additional reporting by Heba Saleh in Cairo and Felicia Schwartz in Washington
