Gaza | WTNS | Aug 10:In a devastating assault, the Israeli military targeted the Tabaeen School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of central Gaza City early Saturday morning, resulting in the deaths of over 100 Palestinians and leaving many more severely wounded. The school had become a refuge for thousands of displaced individuals, offering what many believed to be a safe haven amidst the ongoing conflict.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the bombing occurred just as those sheltering within the school had begun their dawn prayers, unleashing a scene of unimaginable carnage. The Gaza government’s media office confirmed that three missiles, each loaded with 2,000 pounds of explosives, were fired at the building. The Director General of the office, Ismail Al-Thawabta, condemned the attack, accusing the Israeli military of deliberately targeting civilians under the pretext of fabricated justifications.
“The Israeli military knew full well that the school was housing displaced people,” Al-Thawabta stated. “Yet they launched this attack, killing nearly 90 percent of those at prayer, including women and children. This is nothing short of a massacre.”
Civil Defense teams and medical personnel have been overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the destruction. Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense, reported that many of the injured sustained critical wounds, while bodies remained scattered across the schoolyard and prayer area, torn apart by the force of the explosions. The Tabaeen School had been sheltering more than 2,000 people from across Gaza, many of whom had already fled multiple times from other targeted shelters.
This tragic incident marks the fifth time in two weeks that Israeli forces have bombed a shelter center in Gaza. Anas al-Sharif, an Al-Jazeera correspondent in Gaza, described the scene at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, where the wounded were taken, as chaotic. The hospital, already strained by the ongoing blockade and destruction of the health infrastructure, is struggling to cope with the influx of casualties, lacking essential medical supplies and personnel.
The Israeli military has admitted to the airstrike, claiming it targeted “terrorists” allegedly operating within the school, despite the known presence of displaced civilians. This explanation has been met with widespread condemnation. Hamas, the governing body in Gaza, labeled the attack a “horrific crime” and a “dangerous escalation” in Israel’s campaign against Palestinians.
“The enemy army is lying once again, fabricating excuses to justify its crimes,” Hamas said in a statement. “There were no armed individuals at Al-Tabaeen School—only innocent civilians seeking shelter.”
International response to the bombing has been swift and severe. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, stating it highlights Israel’s disregard for any potential peaceful resolution to the conflict. The Jordanian government echoed these sentiments, calling the bombing a flagrant violation of international law and a blatant attack on civilians.
The massacre at Tabaeen School is just one episode in a conflict that has seen Gaza devastated since Israel’s military campaign began on October 7. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, with tens of thousands more wounded. The ongoing siege has led to widespread famine, particularly in northern Gaza, and the displacement of nearly two million people—creating a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale.
As the international community continues to call for a ceasefire, the people of Gaza remain trapped in a nightmare, with each day bringing new horrors and escalating violence. The world watches, as a humanitarian disaster unfolds with no end in sight.
