At least 30 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on a school in Deir al Balah in central Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, while the Israeli military claimed it had targeted a Hamas command center. The Gaza health ministry and the Hamas-run government media office reported that over 100 others were injured in the strike on the school in Deir Al-Balah, an area heavily populated with displaced families. The Israeli military stated that it had attacked a "Hamas command and control center inside the Khadija school compound in central Gaza," alleging that the school was used to launch attacks against troops and store weapons, and that civilians were warned before the strike.
At Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, ambulances rushed wounded Palestinians into the facility. Some arrived on foot, their clothes bloodied. Israel's military has previously accused Hamas of endangering civilians by operating in densely populated areas, schools, and hospitals, a claim Hamas denies. Earlier on Saturday, Palestinian official media reported that at least 14 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in the southern city of Khan Younis, with their bodies taken to Nasser Medical Complex.
The Israeli military instructed Palestinians to temporarily evacuate southern neighborhoods of Khan Younis for "forceful operations," directing them to relocate to a humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. The military claimed it used multiple communication channels to minimize danger to civilians. In Al-Bureij refugee camp, five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house, and four others were killed in a separate strike in Rafah near the Egyptian border, according to medics.
U.N. and humanitarian officials accuse Israel of using disproportionate force and failing to provide safe havens for civilians, charges Israel denies. On Friday, the military reported clashes with Palestinian fighters in Khan Younis, destroying tunnels and infrastructure as part of efforts to suppress small militant units that continued to attack with mortar fire. The ongoing conflict, more than nine months after Israel's invasion of Gaza following Hamas's October 7 attack, highlights the challenges the Israeli Defense Forces face in eliminating Hamas fighters despite sustained resistance.
Gaza health authorities report that more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes, without distinguishing between fighters and non-combatants. Israeli officials estimate that around 14,000 fighters from groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been killed or captured, out of an estimated force of over 25,000 at the start of the war. The October 7 raid on southern Israel resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
