World reactions to deadly Israeli strike on Gaza school

PARIS, France — Friends and foes of Israel on Saturday denounced an Israeli strike that killed scores of displaced civilians in a Gaza school, renewing calls for an immediate ceasefire.

Gaza's civil defense agency said the Israeli strike on the Al-Tabieen religious school and mosque in Gaza City killed at least 93 people, 17 of them women and children, making it one of the war's deadliest strikes.

Israel's military disputed the death toll, saying the school was targeted with "precision munitions" because it "served as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility".

It said at least 19 "terrorists" had been killed in the strike.

A White House statement said it was "deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties" following the strike and was seeking more information.

The strike "underscores the urgency of a ceasefire and hostage deal, which we continue to work tirelessly to achieve", the statement added.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy wrote on X that he was "appalled by the Israeli Military strike on al-Tabeen school and the tragic loss of life," adding that "we need an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians, free all hostages, and end restrictions on aid".

A statement from the French foreign ministry noted that "for several weeks, school buildings have been repeatedly targeted, with an intolerable number of civilian victims."

"Israel must respect international humanitarian law," it added.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was "horrified by images from a sheltering school in Gaza hit by an Israeli strike. At least 10 schools were targeted in the last weeks. There's no justification for these massacres," Borrell wrote on X.

The Swiss foreign affairs ministry said in a posting on X that it was "alarmed by the high death toll reported after an Israeli strike on a school used as a shelter. International humanitarian law protects civilians and civilian infrastructure in conflict zones."

"Once again we demand the total respect for the provisional measures demanded by the International Court of Justice for the protection of civilian populations," said the Spanish government.

Qatar, a mediator in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, demanded an