Gaza [Palestine], September 22: At least 22 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli attack that hit a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. The Palestinian Civil Defence agency in Gaza confirmed that Israel targeted the Zeitoun School in the eastern part of Gaza City on Saturday.
Those killed include 13 children, six women, and a three-month-old baby, the Government Media Office said in a statement, adding that Israel had committed a "horrific massacre".
At least 30 people were wounded, the ministry said, including several who suffered severe burns. Two people remain missing. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal noted that thousands of displaced people had sought shelter at the school. Israel's military said in a statement the air force had "conducted a precise strike on terrorists who were operating inside a Hamas command and control centre in Gaza City".
Israeli forces frequently accuse the group of using civilian facilities for military purposes. Hamas denies this. This is the latest in a series of Israeli raids on school buildings housing displaced people in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes by Israeli offensives have been sheltering.
Source: Qatar Tribune
