Middle East conflict: Nine Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike that targeted school

The deceased reportedly included three journalists.

Local sources and eyewitnesses reported to Xinhua that an Israeli aircraft struck the "Asma" school with at least one missile.

According to reports, nine bodies were recovered from the site.

The Civil Defense Authority in Gaza told Xinhua news agency that its teams, in coordination with medical personnel, are continuing to search for missing individuals beneath the rubble.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed shock at the “harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction” in north Gaza amid an ongoing intense Israeli military operation, his Spokesperson said on Sunday.

Since the offensive began earlier this month, hundreds of people have been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, with more than 60,000 others displaced again, many fearing they may never return.

Civilians are reportedly trapped under rubble, while the sick and wounded lack access to life-saving care. They also face severe shortages of food and shelter, amid reports of family separations and mass detentions.

“The plight of Palestinian civilians trapped in North Gaza is unbearable,” read a statement from the UN chief’s Spokesperson.

Guterres warned that the “widespread devastation and deprivation” caused by Israel’s military operations – particularly around Jabalya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun – have made life “untenable” for the Palestinian population there.

Despite repeated efforts to deliver essential humanitarian supplies, including food, medicine, and shelter, access continues to be denied by Israeli authorities, with few exceptions, putting countless lives in jeopardy.

Adding to the crisis, the postponement of the final phase of the polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza has endangered thousands of children.