At least 26 Palestinians were killed and many others wounded following Israeli airstrikes that hit a mosque and a school sheltering displaced people in Deir El-Balah, central Gaza, on Sunday, 6 October, the Gaza Health Ministry reported.
According to Gaza health authorities, the attacks on Ibn Rushd School and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque resulted in heavy casualties, with the ministry stating that the Israeli occupation committed three massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, leading to 45 martyrs and 256 injuries arriving at hospitals within the past 24 hours.
In response, the Israeli military claimed that the mosque and school were being used by Hamas as “command and control” centers, though no evidence was provided to substantiate the claim.
The Health Ministry added that the total death toll since the war on Gaza began a year ago had reached 41,870, with over 97,000 people injured.
This strike occurred almost exactly a year after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of 251 hostages. Since then, the conflict has seen extensive casualties, primarily in Gaza.
Hamas condemned the attack, accusing Israel of targeting civilian homes and causing numerous casualties. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) maintained that precautions were taken to minimize civilian harm, including the use of precision strikes and surveillance. They further accused Hamas of using civilian sites for military purposes, which Hamas denied.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders on Sunday 7 October, for northern Gaza, urging residents to flee to the overcrowded humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that Hamas had established “terrorist infrastructure” in the region, using civilians and facilities as shields.
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