Israeli Airstrike on Gaza School Kills Over 70 Amid Ongoing Conflict
An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City has resulted in over 70 deaths, according to the director of a local hospital speaking to the BBC.
Fadl Naeem, head of al-Ahli Hospital where many of the victims were taken, reported that this number includes those identified so far; many others are unrecognizable due to severe disfigurement, making identification challenging.
He described the situation as “catastrophic,” with doctors unable to treat the critically injured due to the overwhelming number of casualties.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that the al-Taba’een school was an operational base for Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, alleging that around 20 militants were active there. Hamas has denied these claims.
Preliminary reports also indicated dozens of deaths, with the Hamas-run health ministry’s ambulance service estimating over 60 fatalities, while the civil defense agency reported more than 90. The BBC is unable to verify these figures independently.
In recent weeks, Israel has targeted several such shelters in Gaza.
The United Nations reported that by July 6, 477 out of 564 school buildings in Gaza had been hit or damaged, with at least 14 more targeted since then.
The al-Taba’een school, which had recently become a refuge for over 1,000 displaced individuals from Beit Hanoun due to Israeli evacuation orders, also served as a mosque. The Israeli strike occurred during dawn prayers, according to witnesses.
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Jaafar Taha, a nearby student, recounted hearing the bombing followed by screams and chaos.
“‘Save us, save us,’ they were shouting,” he said. “The scene was horrific. Body parts were scattered everywhere and blood covered the walls.”
Salim Oweis, spokesperson for the UN children’s agency, Unicef, called the attack “outrageous,” emphasizing that the schools were filled with civilians seeking refuge.
Israel’s military stated it had targeted a Hamas command center within the al-Taba’een school, asserting that about 20 militants, including high-ranking commanders, were operating from the site.
IDF spokesperson Lt Col Nadav Shoshani claimed that the casualty figures reported by Hamas do not match the IDF’s information on the strike’s precision and munitions used.
Hamas condemned the attack as a “horrific crime” and a dangerous escalation in Israel’s “war of extermination” against Palestinians.
Fatah, Hamas’s rival political faction in the West Bank, accused Israel of aiming to “exterminate Palestinians through a policy of cumulative killing.”
Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, the UN agency aiding Palestinians, stated that “these horrors must end.”
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed his horror at the images, stating, “There’s no justification for these massacres.”
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The casualty figures from this early-morning attack are among the highest reported for recent strikes.
Targeting school buildings has become a frequent aspect of IDF operations in recent weeks, as part of their stated objective to dismantle Hamas military infrastructure.
Since early July, over a dozen schools have been hit, including a period with four schools attacked in four days.
The IDF regularly asserts that Hamas uses these schools as command centers, though Hamas disputes this claim.
These schools, which were often managed by the UN before the conflict, have become crucial shelters for many displaced Gazans, who are suffering the most from these attacks.
It remains uncertain whether this incident will affect the ongoing ceasefire negotiations, which have been complicated by the recent assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Egypt, one of the mediators in the truce efforts, criticized Israel’s “deliberate killing” of unarmed Palestinians, suggesting a lack of political will to end the conflict.
Jordan characterized the attack as a sign of the Israeli government’s efforts to obstruct ceasefire negotiations.
The conflict escalated following a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken to Gaza.
This attack triggered a large-scale Israeli military response, leading to the ongoing war.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, over 39,790 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli campaign.
Israeli Airstrike on Gaza School Kills Over 70 Amid Ongoing Conflict
