Israel strikes Gaza school, killing 22; cites Hamas command center within

An Israeli airstrike on a school in northern Gaza on Saturday killed at least 22 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israeli army stated it targeted a Hamas command center that was operating from the former school. The strike in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City left another 30 people wounded, with many of the casualties being women and children.
People, including children, were seen sifting through the rubble as per Associated Press reports.The footage showed collapsed ceilings, broken walls, and tangled wires. Outside, others mourned around covered bodies. "A missile, a missile from the plane hit us, and another missile," said displaced Palestinian Ferial Deloul. "We saw the whole world covered with smoke and stones and we saw people and children cut up. … What should we do? What is our fault for this to happen to us?”
The Israeli army said they targeted Hamas' “command and control center, which was embedded inside a compound that previously served” as a school. They claimed to have taken measures to minimise civilian harm, including using precise munitions and aerial surveillance.
The Gaza Health Ministry also reported that five of its workers were killed, and five others were injured by Israeli fire in the southern Musbah area on the same day.
Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict, schools and hospitals have been frequently targeted. The Israeli military accuses Hamas of using civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, to operate. The conflict has displaced around 90% of Gaza's Palestinian population, according to the United Nations.
Earlier, an Israeli strike hit a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing 14 people, as per Palestinian medical officials. The Israeli military claimed it targeted Hamas militants planning attacks from within the school. In July, airstrikes on a girls' school in Deir al-Balah killed at least 30 people. The military said that strike was aimed at a Hamas command center that directed attacks and stored weapons.
Meanwhile, Israel-s tensions with Hezbollah have also escalated following an airstrike on a Beirut suburb in Lebanon, which killed dozens, including civilians and key Hezbollah commanders. The strike came after Hezbollah's intense bombardment of northern Israel, which was mostly intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.
On Saturday, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari reported that Israel had targeted more than 400 rocket launchers in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Israelis protested, demanding a cease-fire and the return of around 100 hostages held in Gaza. Despite the security situation on Israel’s northern border, the protests maintained participation similar to previous weeks.