GAZA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday.

The Israeli army targeted the Mustafa Hafez school in the al-Rimal neighborhood, which is sheltering hundreds of displaced families, killing and injuring some of its residents, according to the Gaza-based Palestinian Civil Defense.

"So far, we have recovered nine bodies, while others remain trapped under the rubble," Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the civil defense, told Xinhua.

"The Israeli army continues to target civilians in Gaza City, disregarding the lives of children, women, and the elderly," Basal added.

He noted that civil defense crews are facing significant challenges in reaching the victims due to limited logistical capabilities and fuel shortages.

Also on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the Israeli Air Force carried out a precise strike on "terrorists" operating within a Hamas command and control center.

The IDF added that multiple steps were taken prior to the strike to minimize the risk to civilians.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.

Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli military has killed 34 people and wounded 114 others, bringing the total death toll in the enclave to 40,173, with 92,857 injured since the start of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Tuesday. Enditem

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