Dozens Of Palestinians Killed In Israeli Airstrikes At Gaza Refugee Camp School

JAKARTA - Dozens of people died as a result of Israeli airstrikes against UN-run schools in refugee camps in central Gaza.

Schools managed by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), housed refugees in Nuseirat at the time of the attack, Gaza's state media office said.

Authorities at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said 39 people were killed and dozens injured, and authorities fear the number will increase as the victims are still being taken to hospital.

The Israeli military confirmed they carried out the airstrikes, which it said targeted the Hamas compound operating inside the school.

Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) said "many actions were taken to minimize harm to parties who were not involved" prior to the attack, including air surveillance and the use of appropriate additional intelligence information."

According to a CNN stringer report, the school was hit by three missiles that broke through the three-story building. The school is believed to house about 20,000 refugees sheltering in schools, school grounds, and surrounding areas, according to the stringer.

Gaza authorities said the dead and injured were being taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which operates at three times the capacity of its clinical capacities, indicating a real disaster that would lead to a larger increase in the number of martyrs, Gaza's media reports.