Israeli Airstrike on Gaza School That Killed 22 Was Aimed at Hamas Figure, Sources Say .

An Israeli airstrike twelve days ago on a former school in Gaza, which killed 22 people, including children, was reportedly aimed at a local Hamas figure, according to information provided to the BBC. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the site, located in Gaza City, housed a Hamas "command and control center." The strike on 21 September, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, killed 13 children and six women.

The school, closed due to the conflict, had been used as shelter for displaced families. One young survivor, Amal, recounted witnessing bodies torn apart by the strike, expressing her fear and desperation, pleading for safety in schools.

Sources informed the BBC that among those killed was the Hamas figure, raising concerns that many civilians died as collateral damage. Huda Alhadad, a mother who lost her two children in the attack, described the devastating moment when she found them buried under the rubble.

In the days following the strike, at least eight more fatal airstrikes hit schools in Gaza sheltering displaced people. UNICEF reported that over half of Gaza’s schools used as shelters have been targeted in the ongoing conflict, leading to widespread casualties among children and families.

The IDF maintained that these strikes targeted Hamas terrorists or facilities embedded within civilian areas, though they incorrectly named the school struck on 21 September as Al-Falah instead of Al-Zeitoun C, as verified by local residents and satellite imagery.

The Hamas-run government accused Israel of committing a “horrific massacre,” citing additional injuries and amputations, including nine children. Dr. Amjad Eliwa, a physician treating the wounded, described severe injuries, and confirmed that one of the victims was a six-month pregnant woman, further corroborated by images from the site.