JERUSALEM

The Israeli army said Thursday it struck two schools run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza City, claiming that gunmen were operating inside the facilities.  

A military statement claimed that the two schools in al-Forqan and al-Daraj neighborhoods were allegedly being used as hideouts for Hamas operatives. 

At least five people were reported killed and dozens injured in the Israeli attacks on the two schools. 

There was no immediate comment from Hamas or UNRWA on the Israeli claim. 

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas. 

More than 38,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 87,400 others injured, according to local health authorities. 

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine. 

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala