16 killed in Israeli strike on a school in Gaza

The health ministry in Gaza, managed by Hamas, reported that an Israeli airstrike on Saturday targeted a school sheltering displaced individuals, resulting in 16 fatalities.

The ministry condemned the strike as an "odious massacre" and noted that an additional 50 people were injured and transported to a hospital from Al-Jawni school in Nuseirat, central Gaza.

The Israeli military did not provide an immediate response when contacted by AFP.

According to the Hamas-run government's press office, the school was sheltering 7,000 people at the time of the strike.

Earlier in the day, paramedics reported that a strike on a house in Nuseirat killed 10 individuals, including three journalists.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) confirmed that two of its workers were killed in a strike in Al-Bureij, central Gaza, where the agency maintains a significant food warehouse.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal stated, "Absolutely no place in the Gaza Strip is safe."

The conflict began with Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Hamas also took hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, with the military reporting that 42 of them are dead.

In retaliation, Israel launched a military offensive that has led to the deaths of at least 38,098 people in Gaza, predominantly civilians, as reported by the Gaza health ministry.