Israeli strike on Gaza school kills 40 people

Gaza, Agencies: An Israeli strike early Thursday on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza killed more than 40 people, including 23 women and children, according to local health officials.

The strike came after the military said it was launching new air and ground operations in central Gaza and a medical group reported soaring casualties.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah received at least 30 bodies from the strike on the school and another six from a separate strike on a home, according to hospital records and an Associated Press reporter at the hospital.

Hamas-run media had earlier reported a higher toll from the strike on the school. The Israeli military said its fighter jets struck the school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known by the acronym UNRWA.

The Israeli military claimed, without offering evidence, that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad used the school as cover for their operations.