"The IAF conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center. The command and control center was located inside a compound that previously served as the ‘Salah al-Din’ School in Gaza City. Hamas operatives used the compound as a hideout and a base to plan and execute attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel," the IDF said on Telegram on Wednesday.
The Gaza Civil Defence agency said that at least four people were killed and another 18 were wounded. Spokesman Mahmud Bassal told the AFP news agency that 10 children were among the injured.
The Israeli military claimed that it took the necessary measures to reduce risks to the civilian population. Israel has targeted more than 500 schools since it started its offensive in Gaza in October. It has repeatedly alleged that Hamas is using the schools as command centers but has provided scant evidence to back their claims. Hamas has denied that it operates inside of schools.
Video posted on social media appears to show civilians, including women and children, fleeing the school after it was targeted.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Civil Defense said that at least 12 people were killed as a result of Israel’s airstrike on a school building in the western part of Gaza city.
On Wednesday, Belgium condemned the recent attacks on schools inside Gaza.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. In addition, Hamas fighters infiltrated the border areas, opened fire on the military and civilians and took hostages. Israeli authorities say that about 1,200 people were killed during the raid. The IDF launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip and announced a complete blockade of the enclave. The enclave's health ministry says that the death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has exceeded 40,000. In July, The Lancet Medical Journal estimated that the true death toll is likely exceeded 186,000.