The Israeli military said it was investigating reports of deaths at a school turned into a shelter, which came as Israel stepped up its offensive in the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to release hostages.
Dozens of people were killed in an Israeli strike on a school turned into a shelter in Gaza City on Thursday, according to local health authorities.
The deadly strike came as Israel was stepping up its offensive in the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to release more hostages it was holding.
The Israeli military said it was investigating reports of the incident and had no immediate comment.
The bodies of 27 people killed in the strike arrived at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, the Health Ministry said. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants when tallying casualties.
Several videos reviewed by The New York Times show the blast and its chaotic aftermath at the Dar al-Arqam school in the Tuffa neighborhood of Gaza City, where civilians had taken refuge. The videos show people carrying victims, including children, to ambulances as fires burn in the background.
Video taken by Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif shows more than a dozen injured children at Ahli Arab hospital, some covered in dust.
Israel has accused Hamas of deploying forces in civilian areas, including schools and hospitals.
He said Mohammed al-Najjar, 32, was taking shelter in the school when a series of airstrikes hit the building.
“We were surprised when the school was bombed,” he said in a voice message, adding that a second round of airstrikes followed later.
On Wednesday, Avichai Adraei, an Arabic-speaking spokesman for the Israeli military, called on residents of the Tuffa neighborhood to leave the area.
While many people complied with military orders to evacuate during Israel's latest campaign, others chose to remain in their homes or shelters, saying they could not bear to be displaced (many had already been forced to flee their homes several times during the war) or that they had nowhere else to go.
A two-month cease-fire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in mid-March after the two sides failed to reach an agreement to extend it. Since then, the Israeli military has launched a major bombardment of Gaza that Israeli officials say is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release more hostages.
More than 1,000 people have died in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire was broken on March 18, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Adam Rasgon is a Jerusalem-based reporter for The Times, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs. More about Adam Rasgon
Aric Toler is a reporter on the Times's Visual Investigations team, where he uses new discovery techniques to analyze open-source information. More about Aric Toler
For more information, see: Israel's War with Hamas, Hamas, Al-Ahli Arab Hospital (Gaza Strip)
