The Gaza Civil Defense said the school was sheltering migrants. Hamas condemned the attack in a statement posted on Telegram, saying “migrants, sick and wounded, mostly women and children” were killed.
Footage from the scene shows a chaotic scene with people moving through the rubble-covered complex. Men are holding two bloody children in their arms, a woman is holding another child, and a group is carrying an injured man on a stretcher. The body lies on the ground, covered with a blanket.
The IDF said it had taken steps to reduce the risk to civilians before the strikes, including “the use of appropriate weapons, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence gathering.”
The Gaza Strip's Health Ministry said 53 people had been killed and 189 wounded since Saturday morning in IDF bombings in Deir al-Balah and the southern city of Khan Yunis.
The strikes come as Israel continues its months-long military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Strip's Health Ministry.
The war began on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
