Israel Confirms Airstrike On Gaza School That Reportedly Killed Dozens, Says It Was Hamas Command Center

Israel confirmed an airstrike Saturday morning on what it claims was a Hamas command center “embedded” inside a mosque in a school compound.

Palestinian authorities, who were using the school as a shelter, said the airstrike killed 40 people, according to Bloomberg. Israel Defense Forces said an intelligence investigation confirmed the strike eliminated “at least 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists” and emphasized “numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians” before the attack.

“These terrorists operated in order to advance and carry out attacks against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel from inside the compound,” IDF said in a statement on X. “The strike was carried out using three precise munitions, which, according to professional analysis, can not cause the amount of damage that is being reported by the Hamas-run Government Information Office in Gaza. Furthermore, no severe damage was caused to the compound where the terrorists were situated.”

The White House is “deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties” from the strike, National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said