Over 100 Deaths vs. Precision Strikes on Armed Militants Clash
The Israeli military attacked a school in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, resulting in over 100 deaths, AFP news agency reported on the 10th (local time), citing the Palestinian media WAFA.
The Israeli military stated that on the morning of the same day, they bombed a school building in Gaza City used as a command and control center by the Palestinian armed faction Hamas. About 20 members belonging to Hamas and its armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) were present at the targeted site, and the military emphasized that "the airstrike was carried out precisely with precision weapons."
A spokesperson for the Gaza authorities said, "Three Israeli rockets struck a school where Palestinian refugees were staying," adding, "After the Israeli bombing at Al-Taba'in School in the Al-Sahaba area of Gaza City, 40 martyrs have been reported and dozens injured." AFP later reported that the death toll rose to between 90 and over 100.
He described the bombing as a "horrific massacre," stating that flames spread at the scene, burning some bodies. Hamas condemned the incident in a statement, calling the massacre at the Gaza City school a "dangerous act of escalating conflict."
In response, the Israeli military claimed, "We precisely targeted Hamas terrorists operating inside Hamas's command and control headquarters located within Al-Taba'in School," and rejected the casualty figures released by Hamas-affiliated media, stating they do not match their intelligence.
This attack came two days after the Israeli military struck two schools in Gaza City on the 8th, killing more than 18 people. At that time, the Israeli military also claimed to have bombed Hamas command centers with precision weapons.
As the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas in the Gaza Strip approaches ten months, concerns about escalation have increased following the assassination of Hamas's top political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran on the 31st of last month. Israel has neither officially confirmed nor denied the assassination of Haniyeh.
The Israeli military announced on the 9th that its forces are continuing operations around Khan Yunis, a city in the southern Gaza Strip.
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