An Israeli air attack Thursday struck a school used as a shelter in Gaza, killing at least 15 people, Gaza civil defense rescuers said, bringing the death toll to 41,534. The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas command center operating from within the school.

The 2.4 million residents of Gaza have suffered displacement at least once as a result of the ongoing conflict, which began after Hamas attacked Israel last October 7. Many of these civilians sought refuge in school buildings, one of which was the Al-Faluja school in Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, where the strike happened on Thursday.

Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense, said that “15 martyrs, including children and women,” were killed in the strike. Dozens more were wounded, with some in critical condition. The death toll was reported at seven before rising.

In a statement, the Israeli military said the operation included “precise strikes” against Hamas militants who, allegedly, were using the Al-Faluja school as a command-and-control center. No information was available about casualties, according to the military’s statement. AFP could not independently verify the military claim.

The Al-Farouq school is the second to be attacked since the Gaza war began. Thursday’s airstrike follows a September 11 airstrike on the UN-run Al-Jawni School in central Gaza town, which has sparked outright international condemnation. According to UNRWA, 18 people died in the earlier attack, which also killed six of its staff members.

Israeli forces continue claiming Hamas uses school buildings and civilians’ shelters as hideouts for its operations, a charge the Palestinian militant group has denied over and over again. The sparsely populated Gaza Strip has seen intense destruction and human casualties as the conflict between Israel and Hamas entered its 12th month.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the governing body claims that the death toll since war broke out is more than 41,534, with 39 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. Over 96,000 people have been hurt in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas launched attacks on Israel on October 7.

As the days drag on, the growing cries for a ceasefire and humanitarian intervention have come about in the face of this deplorable situation unfolding for displaced civilians in Gaza. However, efforts from the international community to ensure reconciliation and an end to the devastating war have been met with continued violence on both sides and it is these mundane people in Gaza who continue to pay the price for this fratricidal conflict.