Israel strikes Hamas command center in UN school-turned-shelter in Gaza

The Israeli Air Force struck a Hamas command center located inside a United Nations school-turned-shelter in central Gaza , with at least a dozen people allegedly killed.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said the "precise strike" targeted a Hamas command and control center operating inside the Al Jaouni School in Nuseirat. The center was allegedly used to plan and carry out attacks against Israeli soldiers and Israel itself.

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

"This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization’s systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law," the statement continued. "The IDF will continue to operate against Hamas in defense of the citizens of Israel."

The Palestinian Civil Defense said at least 14 people were killed in the strike, including women and children, with another at least 18 people wounded, some of whom were critically injured.

Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum reported that first responders were digging through the rubble with their hands for survivors, due to a lack of basic equipment. He said he witnessed a "tremendous size of destruction" at the site.

“All of a sudden there was a huge explosion. Women and children were blown to pieces. This is the fifth time the school building was pounded by Israeli warplanes," one witness told the outlet. "It is supposed to be a safe sheltering area. What targets are the Israelis hitting in this school?”

The Al Jaouni School is the sixth in Gaza to be hit by Israeli airstrikes since Aug. 1 — in each case, the Israeli Air Force said it was targeting Hamas targets. On Wednesday, the IAF hit a humanitarian camp in Muwasi, in a strike it also said was targeting a Hamas command and control center.

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Nuseirat was also the site of Israel's daring hostage rescue in June, where special forces rescued four hostages from a residential area. A firefight broke out and resulted in under 100 casualties, the IDF estimate, or at least 276 killed, the Palestinian estimate.

Total casualty numbers for the war in Gaza, which will reach its one-year anniversary next month, have proven controversial. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims over 40,000 Gazans have been killed, while pro-Israel analysts estimate the true number is around 20,000. Over 1,200 Israelis were killed in the opening Hamas assault that launched the war on Oct. 7.