GAZA – Israeli airstrikes on two school buildings in the north of Gaza City killed 17 Palestinians, most of them children, and left at least 63 injured according to Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal on Saturday.

“The schools were targeted a second time with three missiles, resulting in 17 martyrs and dozens of injured individuals who were transported to the Baptist Hospital in the city,” Basal said. According to Gaza Civil Defense, the schools were being used as shelters for people displaced by violence. Both Al-Huda School and Al-Hamama School, which are adjacent to each other and share the same playground, were targeted, Basal said.

Asked for comment on the airstrikes by CNN, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck alleged terrorists operating within a Hamas command and control center. “A short while ago, with the intelligence direction of the IDF and ISA, the IAF struck terrorists operating within a Hamas command and control center. In the past, the compound was known as the Hamama school in the northern Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a written statement sent to CNN on Saturday.

Palestinian rescuers extinguish a fire in a damaged building following Israeli bombardment which hit a school complex, including the Hamama and al-Huda schools, in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in the north of Gaza City on August 3, 2024.

After the initial strike, more than three missiles struck the area in a “double tap” attack, according to Basal. “The first bombing was unexpected and resulted in a large number of martyrs and injured individuals. While the martyrs and injured were being retrieved, the occupation forces issued a warning that another strike was imminent,” Basal said.

The Civil Defense in Gaza published a list of the names of the killed individuals, showing that at least three of the dead were female. (CNN)…[+]