JERUSALEM

The Israeli army on Saturday cast doubt on the reported death toll from the bombing of the Al-Taba'een School in central Gaza, which Palestinian officials say resulted in at least 100 fatalities and numerous injuries.

In a statement, the Israeli military questioned the accuracy of the reported casualties, claiming that only 20 people were killed.

The army claimed that their intelligence suggested the school, which was housing displaced civilians, was used for “promoting Hamas activities.”

However, the Government Media Office in Gaza said the Israeli forces struck the school with three powerful bombs during fajr (dawn) prayers, directly hitting worshipers and civilians seeking refuge.

According to witnesses, the bodies of those killed became "charred remains in the prayer hall area and some of them are scattered in the schoolyard".

Despite appeals on Thursday from mediators, including Egypt, the US, and Qatar, to stop hostilities, reach a cease-fire, and a hostage exchange agreement, Israel persists with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 39,700 people since last October following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

• Writing by Ikram Kouachi