At least 93 Palestinians lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a school and mosque in Gaza, where displaced civilians had sought refuge, according to Gaza Civil Defense officials. The strike occurred overnight on Saturday at the Al-Tabi’in compound in the Al-Daraj neighborhood, as people were performing dawn prayers.
Gaza Civil Defense Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal confirmed the death toll, stating, “We recovered at least 90 people who had been killed, many of them torn apart, many still unidentified.” Disturbing videos obtained by CNN show bodies scattered across the scene, with witnesses reporting no prior warning of the attack.
Fares Afana, director of ambulance and emergency services in northern Gaza, emphasized the civilian nature of the victims, including children, the elderly, and families. “These were innocent people praying… where is the entire world?” said one grieving man who lost multiple family members in the strike.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the airstrike, claiming it targeted a Hamas command and control center embedded within the compound. The IDF stated that “numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians,” including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance. However, when pressed by CNN for evidence supporting the claim, the IDF cited intelligence suggesting that around 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters were operating from the building. The IDF also disputed the death toll provided by Gazan authorities.
This attack marks the fifth strike on a Gaza school by Israeli forces since last Sunday, as reported by CNN. The United Nations Human Rights Office expressed alarm earlier this week, stating it was “horrified by the unfolding pattern” of strikes on educational institutions in Gaza.
The ongoing military offensive by Israel, which began on October 7 in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, has resulted in nearly 40,000 Palestinian deaths and over 90,000 injuries, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The conflict has also displaced nearly 2 million people within Gaza, nearly its entire population, as reported by the United Nations.
Amid the chaos, families are struggling to identify their loved ones. Basal noted that many bodies remain unidentified due to the severity of injuries, and hospitals are overwhelmed with the dead and injured. One woman, Um Ahmed, described the harrowing scene: “I went to look for my husband and I didn’t see anybody; they were all in pieces.”
Saturday’s airstrike is part of a series of deadly assaults over the past week. Last weekend, Israeli strikes on multiple school buildings sheltering displaced Palestinians resulted in at least 47 deaths, including many children, and left dozens more injured. Videos from the aftermath of those attacks depict widespread devastation and show medics rushing to aid injured children.
Palestinian officials have repeatedly stated that no warnings were given to civilians before these airstrikes. The escalating violence has drawn widespread concern and calls for de-escalation from the international community, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen.
