The civil defence service of the Hamas-run enclave reported that six of its staff members were among the 14 individuals killed in an Israeli attack that targeted a central Gaza school that was serving as a shelter for displaced Palestinians.

According to Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, this attack resulted in the greatest number of staff deaths in a single occurrence. According to reports, two airstrikes struck the Nuseirat school and the area around it.

The manager of the Unrwa shelter and other staff members who helped displaced persons were among those slain, the UN organisation stated on X.Earlier, Israel’s military said its air force had “conducted a precise strike on terrorists who were operating inside a Hamas command-and-control centre” on the school grounds, without elaborating on the outcome or the identities of those targeted.

The Hamas government media office said about 5,000 displaced people were sheltering at the school when it was hit on Wednesday.

Unrwa said in its statement: “This school has been hit five times since the war began. It is home to about 12,000 displaced people, mainly women and children.”

Israeli forces have struck several such schools in recent months, saying Palestinian militants were operating there and hiding among displaced civilians – claims denied by Hamas.

Wednesday’s strike on the al-Jaouni school in the Nuseirat refugee camp injured at least 18 others, local health officials told the Associated Press.

An IDF spokesperson said that prior to the attack “a series of measures were taken to reduce the likelihood of civilian casualties, including the use of precision weapons, the use of aerial imagery, and additional intelligence.”

UN secretary-general António Guterres said late on Wednesday that “what’s happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable.”

“Six of our @UNRWA colleagues are among those killed,” Guterres said in a post on X.

children, according to the Health Ministry and the civil defence.Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced late on Tuesday that two soldiers had died in an army helicopter crash near Rafah, in the southern city of Gaza. On Wednesday, the military made the announcement that eight more soldiers had been hurt in the helicopter crash that occurred during the landing.

According to a statement from Maj Gen Tomer Bar, the plane was carrying out a "life-saving operation" to rescue an injured soldier when it crashed.

He referred to the collision as a "operational accident" and stated that "an investigative committee has been appointed to investigate the details of the crash."