Gaza: At least seven people, including children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza school sheltering displaced civilians, according to Gaza's civil defense rescuers. The strike hit Al-Faluja school in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Thursday, with many reported wounded.

The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas command-and-control center operating inside the school, claiming its strikes were precise. The strike is part of ongoing Israeli operations following Hamas’s October 7 attack, which triggered the current conflict. Civil defense agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal confirmed the deaths but did not specify how many children were among the victims.

This attack follows a series of Israeli strikes on schools in Gaza, where over 2.4 million residents have been displaced, many seeking refuge in educational buildings. Earlier this month, a strike on the UN-run Al-Jawni School in central Gaza killed 18 people, including six UN workers, drawing international condemnation.

The Israeli military has accused Hamas of using schools to shield its operations, a claim the militant group denies. Since the start of the conflict, Gaza's health ministry reports over 41,495 Palestinian deaths, mostly civilians. The United Nations has acknowledged these figures as reliable.

Israel's response to Hamas’s October 7 assault, which killed 1,205 Israelis, including civilians and hostages, has been characterized by extensive airstrikes across Gaza, with continued fighting escalating humanitarian concerns.