In the early hours of Saturday, August 10, the Israeli army launched a bombing raid on Al Tabeen School in the Al Daraj neighborhood of central Gaza City. The attack claimed the lives of over 100 individuals and left many others injured. The school had been serving as a refuge for those displaced by the ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army claimed responsibility for the bombing, with its spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, stating that the operation was carried out based on directives from the Military Intelligence Directorate, the Shin Bet, and the Southern Command of the army. Adraee alleged that the school was being used as a military command center by "terrorists" affiliated with Hamas and that it was being used to launch operations against Israeli forces, according to his statement.
Israeli Occupation Publishes Names of Victims Killed Before the Al Tabeen School Massacre
Following the massacre, the Israeli army released a list of 19 individuals it claimed were members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, stating that they had been 'killed in the bombing' that targeted Al Tabeen School.
However, an investigation into the names listed revealed that they included victims who had been killed prior to the attack and individuals with no connection to Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
The Israeli army included Yussuf Said al-Wadiya on its list, but Palestinian sources confirmed that al-Wadiya had been killed in an Israeli airstrike two days before the Al Tabeen School massacre in a different location. Friends and acquaintances of al-Wadiya had already posted obituaries for him on social media on August 8, two days before the massacre occurred.
The Israeli army’s list also included a photo of a young man they identified as Munther Nasr Daher, claiming he was one of the targets of the Al Tabeen School massacre. However, the investigation revealed that the young man's real name was Muntaser Nasr Daher. He was a civilian who, along with his sister Naama Daher, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on their apartment on Friday afternoon, August 9, one day before the massacre. His relatives had also posted an obituary for him on social media.
Ramy Abdu, Chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, reported that the Israeli army’s list included individuals with no political activity. Among them was Muhammed Hamed al-Taif, a former school principal and mediator on a local committee who had no connection to any political activities.
Abdu also noted that the list included Abed el-Aziz el Kfarneh, a civilian from Beit Hanoun with no ties to Hamas, and Abed al-Karim Hamad, described as a “religious man sympathetic to Hamas but not a member.”
The Chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor pointed out that the list included four members of the Jaabari family, noting that they "do not engage in any political or military activity." It also featured an imam, a member of the Habib family who had “a serious dispute with Hamas,” and a university professor from the Kahlout family who had never participated in any political work.
Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip confirmed that many of the names on the list were religious figures and university professors with no military involvement.
Additionally, the Israeli army's list included Mohammed Hassan Abu Saada, the Director of Endowments in Gaza, who worked as a preacher and imam. Videos of him delivering sermons and leading prayers have spread on social media.
Over 100 Victims in Israeli Bombing of Al Tabeen School
The Israeli occupation attempted to cover up the massacre at Al Tabeen School, which resulted in over 100 deaths and dozens of injuries, by publishing a list of names falsely claiming they belonged to members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
In the aftermath of the devastating attack, the Government Media Office in Gaza reported that the occupying forces specifically targeted displaced individuals during the Fajr prayer. This horrific act resulted in a swift surge in casualties. The office further revealed that the scale of the massacre and the sheer number of victims hindered the efforts of medical teams, civil defense, and emergency relief workers, delaying the retrieval of the bodies.
Eyewitnesses who were near the school during the bombing described how the Israeli attack began immediately after the start of the Fajr prayer.
Ismail al-Thawabta, the Director General of Gaza's Government Media Office, confirmed that the school was struck by three missiles, each carrying 2,000 pounds of explosives. He asserted that the Israeli army was fully aware of the displaced people sheltering inside the school and condemned their narrative as "a pack of lies and falsehoods designed to justify their crimes against our people."
Hamas Denies Occupation’s Claims About Targeting Militants in the Al Tabeen School Massacre
In the wake of the massacre, Hamas issued a strong rebuttal against the Israeli occupation’s assertions that militants were present inside Al Tabeen School. The group contended that the Israeli army is attempting to justify its horrific act, which has drawn widespread international condemnation, by falsely and misleadingly claiming that 19 martyrs, among the more than 100 civilians it coldly murdered in the Al Tabeen School massacre, were resistance activists.
Hamas emphasized that these allegations are unfounded, asserting that the list of victims includes children, civilian employees, university professors, and religious leaders who have no ties to political or military activities.
Hamas stressed that all the victims of the massacre were civilians, with no militants among them, and that they were targeted while performing the Fajr prayer.
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