Israeli strike targets school killing more than 100 people in Gaza

'Israeli strikes targeted displaced people while performing Fajr (dawn) prayers' said Hamas spokesperson

More than 100 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike on a Gaza school sheltering displaced people, the official Palestinian news agency said on Saturday, while the Israeli army claimed to have targeted a Hamas command centre.

"The Israeli strikes targeted the displaced people while performing Fajr (dawn) prayers, a matter led to a rapid increase in the number of casualties," the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said in a statement.

In its statement, the Israeli army said its air forces "struck command and control centre served as a hideout for Hamas terrorists and commanders."

"The IAF precisely struck Hamas terrorists operating within a Hamas command and control center embedded in the Al-Taba’een school and located adjacent to a mosque in Daraj Tuffah, which serves as a shelter for the residents of Gaza City."

"Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information," it added.

Israel has been carrying out a brutal offensive on Gaza since October 7 last year following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,700 injured, according to local health authorities.