On June 6, an Israeli airstrike targeted a UN-run school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza’s Al-Nuseirat camp, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 people. Israel claimed that several Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters were using the UNRWA school for military purposes, identifying and eliminating 8 of these fighters in a precise strike. However, the Gaza Government Media Office disputed the Israeli narrative, citing evidence to the contrary.
Israel Killed 40 Palestinians in a UN-run School in Al-Nuseirat Camp
According to local government officials, an Israeli airstrike on a UN-run school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza’s Al-Nuseirat camp resulted in the killing of at least 40 people, primarily women and children.
The attack on Thursday followed the military's announcement of a new ground and air offensive in several refugee camps in central Gaza.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that thousands of displaced Palestinians were taking refuge at al-Sardi school, affiliated with the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) when it was struck.
Israel Alleges Hamas and Islamic Jihad Fighters Utilized UNRWA School for Military Activities
Following the Israeli attack on the UNRWA facility, Israel justified the strike by claiming that several Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters had embedded themselves inside the school.
They further alleged that Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out a precise strike on a Hamas compound within the school in Al-Nuseirat. These fighters were reportedly part of the Nukhba Forces and had participated in the October 7 Operation.
The Israeli Occupying Forces’s official Twitter account shared a photo showing the locations where the fighters were “operating in the school complex.”
The IOF also released a video showing the briefing of the head of the Israeli Spokesperson's Unit, Daniel Hagari, saying that “Hamas hopes that international law and public sympathy will provide a shield for their military activities—which is why they systematically operate from schools, U.N. facilities, hospitals and mosques.”
He further stated that “We delayed our strikes twice because we identified civilians in the area... We conducted the strike once our intelligence and surveillance indicated that there were no women or children inside the Hamas compound inside those classrooms.”
Moreover, the IOF released photos showing the identities of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters eliminated in the "precise" strike on the UNRWA school in Al-Nuseirat.
Since the targeted strike, the IOF has confirmed the identities of 17 Palestinian fighters who were operating from the school.
Misbar Debunked Israeli Claim of Targeting Only Hamas and Jihad Fighters in the School
Misbar’s investigative team delved into the details of the Israeli Occupation’s attack on the UNRWA school in Al-Nuseirat camp and discovered that the airstrike killed 14 children and 9 women, totaling 23 out of the 40 casualties, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. This contradicts Israel’s claim to eliminate 17 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters.
Misbar also found a video released by the Palestinian Shehab Agency following the massacre. The video shows Palestinian individuals collecting the remains of children killed in the Israeli massacre.
Another video posted online by a Palestinian journalist following the Israeli attack shows a paramedic holding a bag containing the body parts of five children. Their bodies were scattered as a result of the intense bombing of the school.
The Palestinian Information Center also published a video on Twitter showing injured children following the Israeli massacre.
Since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza, Israel has repeatedly avoided accountability for killing civilians, mainly women and children, leaving a significant gap between their claims and the reality on the ground.
In addition, if Israel truly cared about civilians, they would have at least warned those taking refuge in the UNRWA school. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated on Twitter that Israel conducted the airstrike without warning the displaced people or UNRWA. His tweet reads, "Another horrific day in #Gaza. Another @UNRWA school turned shelter attacked. This time in Nuseirat, in the Middle Areas, hit overnight by the Israeli Forces without prior warning to the displaced or @UNRWA." He also added that the school was sheltering about 6,000 displaced people when it was hit.
Besides, the UN reports that women and children account for at least 56% of Gaza war deaths. As of May 6, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated in its regularly updated online report that at least 9,500 women and 14,500 children were among those killed by the Israeli Occupying Forces.
Gaza Government Office Refutes Israeli Narrative on Al-Nuseirat Massacre
The government media office in the Gaza Strip has refuted the Israeli narrative justifying Al-Nuseirat massacre.
In a statement issued on Friday evening, the Director of the Office, Ismail Al-Thawabta, condemned the Israeli media’s narrative that seeks to justify the brutal crimes of the Israeli occupation, asserting that the occupation’s narrative is false and that many children were martyred in the massacre. Al-Thawabta pointed out that the occupation claimed to have killed 17 individuals it described as fighters in Al-Nuseirat, while in reality, only civilians, including women and children, were killed. He noted that the list published by the occupation included three people who are alive, one of whom is out of Gaza.
Al-Thawabta held the Israeli occupation and the American administration fully responsible for the ongoing crimes and called on the international community to condemn these massacres and the genocide against the civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Sources Discredit Israeli Misuse of Images and Names of Deceased ‘Fighters’
According to the sources, one of the incorrect photos belongs to a person who has lived outside Gaza for 18 years. They also confirmed that the list includes a photo of a person who was martyred the day before the massacre, and the name of an elderly man who died naturally several years ago.
Furthermore, the government media office in the Gaza Strip highlighted discrepancies in the list released by the Israeli occupation army, noting that it includes individuals who were killed in different places and times. For instance, Majd Atef Darwish was martyred in the Maghazi camp on Wednesday, not during Al-Nuseirat camp massacre on Thursday. Similarly, Maher Mahmoud Fadel was martyred in the Bureij camp on Wednesday, not during Al-Nuseirat massacre. Additionally, Muatasem Mufid Shuqra was martyred in front of his house in the Bureij camp, not in the Nuseirat massacre. Furthermore, Hajj Jameel Al-Muqaddamah passed away from natural causes in 2017 and was not martyred in Al-Nuseirat massacre.
The office also stated that the Israeli occupation army denied killing children in Al-Nuseirat massacre. However, the list of names contradicts their narrative, disproving their claims. The list of children killed by the Israeli occupation army in Al-Nuseirat massacre includes Mahmoud Sami Faraj Allah, Hassan Aqab Abu Zaher, Shahin Mahmoud Abu Shareef, Ibrahim Abu Zaher, Mahmoud Al-Muhtasib, Saher Ahmed Al-Qarainawi, Ahmed Mohammed Hussein, Noor Mohammed Hussein, Mohammed Iyad Suleiman, Ritaq Iyad Suleiman, Omar Saeed Issa, Abdullah Saeed Issa, and two unidentified children whose bodies were torn apart.
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