Middle East latest: Israeli strike on a Gaza school kills 17 people sheltering there

Israeli airstrikes slammed into two schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, a Health Ministry official said, killing at least 17 people including five children in one of the schools. Rescue workers said at 30 people were also wounded across both locations.

Israel said Hamas operated command centers inside the shelters, without providing evidence.

Elsewhere in the region, Israel launched heavy airstrikes in Yemen on ports, oil and energy infrastructure in rebel-controlled areas, killing nine people, shortly after a Houthi rebel missile badly damaged a school building in Israel.

More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in 14 months of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said more than half of the fatalities are women and children.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’ October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people.

Human Rights Watch on Thursday became the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the allegations, saying its war is directed at Hamas militants, not Gaza’s civilians.