15 dead in Israeli strike on Gaza school shelter, seventh in 8 days, military claims targeted 'terrorists'

15 people were killed in an attack on a school sheltering war refugees on Sunday (July 15), according to the civil defence agency in Gaza. As per the Israeli military, the attack targeted "terrorists".

The attack was the seventh on a school-turned-shelter in eight days on the UN-run Abu Araban site in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

Mahmud Bassal, a spokesperson for the civil defence service, told AFP that the Abu Araban school sheltered "thousands of displaced people" and that women and children were the majority of the deceased.

Schools in Nuseirat were hit by two of the earlier strikes as Israel continued its offensive against Hamas militants, who began the conflict with their October 7 attack on Israel.

The Israeli military said its air force struck several terrorists who were operating in the area of UNRWA's Abu Araban school building in Nuseirat".

It said the building had "served as a hideout" and base for "attacks" on Israeli troops.

The Israeli military reported that its air force targeted several individuals identified as terrorists in the vicinity of UNRWA's Abu Araban school building in Nuseirat. According to the military, the building had been used as a hiding place and operational base for conducting attacks against Israeli soldiers.

Israel claims Hamas uses schools, hospitals, and other public facilities for military objectives. Hamas refutes the charge.

Last week, Germany and France demanded a probe into the school strikes.

Following the Al-Jawni strike, UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma told AFP that the agency had converted its schools into shelters when the conflict started.

As Gaza's primary relief organisation, UNRWA has reported that over half of its facilities, totalling 190, have been damaged during the military response to the Hamas attacks on October 7.

(With inputs from agencies)