Palestinian group denies Israeli claims after deadly school attack

GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group denied Israeli claims Sunday about the presence of gunmen inside a Gaza school where over 100 displaced civilians were killed in a deadly airstrike.

At least 100 people were killed and dozens injured when an Israeli warplane targeted Palestinians performing Fajr (dawn) prayers at the Al-Taba'een School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City on Saturday, according to health authorities.

The Israeli army claimed that the attack targeted 19 gunmen from Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups inside the school compound.

"We categorically deny the enemy's allegations that there were armed men inside the school,” the Palestinian group said in a brief statement.

“These lies promoted by the enemy aim to sow confusion and escape accountability as it continues its war of extermination against our people intending to kill as many as possible,” it added.

On Saturday, Hamas denounced the Israeli claims as “an attempt to justify its heinous crime."

Israel has systematically targeted civilian facilities, including hospitals and schools, amid its ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

According to Gaza’s government media office, at least 172 centers housing displaced people have been targeted in Israeli attacks since last Oct. 7, including 152 schools.

The Israeli onslaught against the Palestinian enclave has killed nearly 39,800 people since last October following a cross-border attack by 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