GAZA CITY — An Israeli airstrike targeted a school in Gaza City that was sheltering displaced individuals, resulting in the deaths of at least five Palestinians, including women and children.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the attack occurred on Saturday at the Shuhada’ al-Zaytun school located in the Al-Zaytun neighborhood, which had been repurposed to house displaced residents. Palestinian security sources reported that the Israeli military carried out the strike, which also left several other people injured. Those injured were subsequently transported to local hospitals for treatment.

The Israeli military stated that the operation was a precise, intelligence-guided strike aimed at a group inside what was described as a “command and control complex” at the former school site. According to the military, this location had been utilized by Hamas operatives to plan and execute operations against Israel. This strike is part of a broader Israeli offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, initiated in response to a significant Hamas attack across the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages.

Further escalating the conflict, the total number of Palestinian casualties in the ongoing Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip has reached 41,182, as reported by health authorities in Gaza on Saturday.