The IDF says Hamas was using the schools as command centers and hiding places.
As the Israel-Hamas war continues, tensions are escalating after the assassinations of two Hamas and Hezbollah leaders this week.
Hamas claimed that its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a rocket that entered the room where he was staying, Khalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas official said in a press conference Wednesday. He warned that Israel will pay the price for Haniyeh's death.
Al-Hayya also slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for hampering cease-fire talks.
-ABC News' Hami Hamedi
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called his Jordanian counterpart Wednesday to discuss "the urgency of efforts to reach a ceasefire to the conflict in Gaza" and "the importance of preventing further escalation of the conflict," according to a statement from the State Department.
The statement doesn't specifically mention the Israeli strike in Lebanon or the killing of Hamas' political leader, but Jordan is viewed as a key strategic partner for maintaining stability in the Middle East by U.S. officials.
-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston
A group representing the families of hostages held in the war-torn Gaza Strip, who were abducted from southern Israel during the Oct. 7 attacks, released a statement on Wednesday urging "the Israeli government and global leaders to decisively advance negotiations."
"This is the time for a deal," the statement said.
The statement comes amid rising tensions in the region after Hamas' political leader was killed by a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital Tehran -- and only hours after Israel targeted a top commander for Iran's ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said his country had a "duty to take revenge" after Hamas' political leader was killed in Tehran.
"However, following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, we believe it is our duty to take revenge," Khamenei said Wednesday.
No country or organization has yet taken credit for the assassination, but Khamenei appeared in his statement to blame Israel, saying the "criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory."
-ABC News' Morgan Winsor and Kevin Shalvey
