Civil defence rescuers in Gaza said an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter killed at least seven people, with the Israeli military saying it had targeted a Hamas command centre, AFP reports.

Civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there were “seven martyrs, including children, and many wounded following an Israeli missile attack that targeted Al-Faluja school in Jabalia camp in north Gaza”.

The military said it carried out “precise strikes” targeting Hamas fighters operating inside what it said was a command-and-control centre at the Al-Faluja school.

AFP was unable to immediately verify what was targeted, and the military statement did not provide information on casualties.

The attack was the latest in a series of Israeli strikes on school buildings housing displaced people in Gaza, where fighting has raged for nearly a year.