Israeli airstrikes on two Gaza shelters kill 17, says Gaza Civil Defense

Rescuers are still responding to the strikes, which killed at least 17 Palestinians, most of them children, according Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal.

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. After the initial strike, more than three missiles struck the area in a “double tap” attack, according to Basal.