An Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza has killed dozens of people, including children, local officials say.
Israel said it was targeting a “Hamas compound” when it struck the school-turned-shelter.
Hamas-affiliated media said the airstrike killed at least 39 people, with local health officials saying that included at least five children.
There is conflicting information about the strike in the Nuseirat area on Thursday morning.
The Associated Press could not immediately independently confirm the details of what happened.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets struck the school run by the United Nations agency providing aid to the Palestinians, known by the acronym UNRWA.
It said, without immediately offering evidence, that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad used the school as a cover for their operations.
“Before the strike, a number of steps were taken to reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians during the strike, including conducting aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence information,” the Israeli military said.
The Nuseirat refugee camp is in the middle of the Gaza Strip. It is a built-up Palestinian refugee camp in central Gaza dating back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah received at least 30 bodies from the strike, according to hospital records and a local reporter.
Mohammed Al Kareem, a displaced Palestinian sheltering near the hospital, described chaotic scenes outside the facility.
He said the wounded were rushed into the emergency department, with videos circulating online appearing to show several injured Palestinians being treated on the flood – a common scene in Gaza’s overwhelmed medical wards.
Mr Al Kareem said he saw people searching for loved ones among the bodies in the hospital courtyard.
“The situation is tragic,” he said.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.