White House ‘deeply concerned’ about civilian casualties in IDF strike on terror operatives at Gaza school

The White House says it is “deeply concerned” about civilian casualties after the Israel Defense Forces said it had struck a command room that terror operatives set up at a Gaza City school where displaced Palestinian civilians were sheltering.

The IDF and Shin Bet say they have verified the deaths of 19 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in the strike, and rejected Hamas’s claim that more than 90 people were killed.

“We are deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Gaza” following the strike, National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett says in a statement, adding that the US has been told by its Israeli counterparts that the strike targeted senior Hamas officials, and is “asking for further details.”

He says the strike, which has sparked international condemnation, “underscores the urgency of a ceasefire and hostage deal, which we continue to work tirelessly to achieve.”