At least 30 people were killed and dozens injured after Israeli airstrikes hit two schools in the Al-Nasr neighborhood in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defense, told CNN that the majority of the bodies recovered are women and children. Rescuers are still searching for missing people under the rubble, he said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency issued a statement claiming responsibility for the strike, asserting that they targeted “terrorists operating inside Hamas command and control centers” that were “embedded” within the schools.
Palestinian officials told CNN that Israel did not give civilians any warning before the airstrikes occurred.
“If a warning had been given, the number of deaths would have been lower,” Basal said.
A local journalist told CNN that the buildings, which were adjacent to each other, housed hundreds of displaced people, primarily women and children. Both schools were in a densely populated residential area
The northern wing of Al-Nasr School, which consisted of three floors, was destroyed, the local journalist said, alongside the ground floor of Hassan Salama School.
Videos obtained by CNN from the area show extensive destruction and dead bodies in a schoolyard following the Israeli strike. In the videos, medics and rescuers carry injured children to waiting ambulances.
The IDF did not respond to questions from CNN regarding the number of Hamas members or civilians who were killed in the strike. CNN has also asked the IDF if it gave a warning to civilians before the strike
The death toll from Israeli military action in Gaza since October 7 reached 39,583 on Sunday, with a further 91,398 people injured, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Israel launched the action in Gaza following the Hamas attacks, wihich killed around 1,200 people.
Credit: CNN
