In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on a school that was converted to a refuge has left at least 80 people dead and about 50 injured. The attack, which happened during prayers at a mosque within the school building, is among the bloodiest events in the ongoing confrontation between Israel and Hamas.

Witnesses and Palestinian health officials said that the bombing seriously injured survivors and placed their corpses in makeshift graves. Since July 4, there have been at least 21 attacks on schools that have resulted in several fatalities, according to the U.N. human rights office. One description of these attacks is systematic.

Declaring that it was a Hamas command center and that 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters were slain, the Israeli military revealed that it had hit the Tabeen school in the heart of Gaza City. On the other hand, representatives of Hamas refute any militant presence in the institution.

The Israeli military refuted the casualty statistics, claiming that the exact weapons employed were incapable of causing the alleged level of damage. They emphasized the steps they were taking, such as using intelligence data and aerial monitoring, to reduce injury to civilians.

Walls were blown out and debris was scattered all over the structure as a result of the hit. A large number of bodies and serious injuries, including burns and amputations, were reported to the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City. The incident happened before dawn, taking several people by surprise while they were praying.