The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that at least 28 people were killed on Thursday following an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza. The strike hit the Rafida School in Deir el-Balah, according to the humanitarian organization.
“Palestine Red Crescent teams responded to 28 fatalities and 54 injuries following the Israeli occupation army’s targeting of Rafida School,” the group said.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry confirmed the same death toll in a separate statement.
The Israeli military issued a statement explaining that the strike targeted a Hamas command-and-control centre “embedded inside a compound that previously served as the Rafida School.” While no casualty numbers were provided, the military stated that the centre was being used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces.
This attack is part of a broader series of Israeli airstrikes on schools in Gaza, where many displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.
On September 26, a similar strike on a school shelter in Jabalia camp resulted in at least 15 deaths, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
The Israeli military has accused Hamas of using schools as operational bases, a claim Hamas has denied.
Despite ongoing fighting, the toll on civilians remains staggering. The Hamas-controlled health ministry reports that more than 42,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the conflict began.
The United Nations has confirmed these figures as credible.
The conflict was triggered by an October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people on the Israeli side, the majority of whom were civilians. This count includes hostages killed in captivity, according to official Israeli data compiled by AFP.
