Gaza, Jul 17 (IANS): At least 40 Palestinians were killed in two attacks by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the Hamas-run media office said in a statement.

One attack in the UN-affiliated Al-Razi School in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed 23 Palestinians, with 73 others injured, the statement said.

The Israeli airstrike, not preceded by any warning, caused partial destruction of the school, Xinhua news agency reported, citing local sources and eyewitnesses.

The other attack in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip killed 17 Palestinians and injured 26 others, the media office said.

Security sources told the news agency that the targeted place housed hundreds of displaced families in tents.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Tuesday that based on precise intelligence, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck "terrorists" who were operating in a UNRWA school in the area of Nuseirat.

The IAF also struck a company commander in the Islamic Jihad's Naval Unit in western Khan Younis, it added.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.