The Israeli military said it killed militants in the central part of the enclave on Friday, a day after a strike on a former school, where Gazan officials say civilians were killed.

Friday’s bombing came a day after an Israeli attack on a U.N. school in central Gaza killed at least 33, including 12 women and children, according to local health officials. The Israeli military said in that case too that Hamas militants were operating from within the school, which the U.N. said was sheltering displaced Palestinian families.

The U.S. has been in contact with Israel about a strike on a school in Gaza on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters, adding that Washington expects Israel to be fully transparent in making information about the strike public.

A group of militants crossed the first of two border fences before encountering an Israeli patrol, engaging in a firefight and retreating, the Israeli military said.

Israel's chief of staff has said it is nearing a decision on an offensive along the frontier with Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah after months of cross-border exchanges of fire.

A Hezbollah spokesperson told Newsweek that the group "will defend its citizens and its land without any hesitation."