An Israeli air force aircraft, guided by intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN) and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), targeted terrorists operating in a Hamas command and control center embedded within the Al-Taabin school complex near a mosque in the Dura' Tafah area on Saturday morning, the IDF and Shin Bet reported.
Following an intelligence investigation, at least 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed, the IDF reported Saturday evening.
The IDF also announced on Saturday night that there is a high probability that the commander of the Central Brigade of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, Ashraf Juda, was also killed.
The IDF carried out the attack using three small and precise weapons, Israeli state broadcaster KAN later reported, citing the military.
The IDF argued that according to professional analysis, these types of ammunition “cannot cause the amount of damage that is being reported by the Hamas-run Government Information Office in Gaza.” Furthermore, no severe damage was caused to the compound where the terrorists were situated, the IDF stated.
Israel's Army Radio later revealed that the school was divided into three sections: men, women, and children. Only rooms containing terrorists in the men’s section were reportedly hit.
The headquarters were reportedly used by Hamas terrorists for shelter and to plan and advance terror activities against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.
“The compound, and the mosque that was struck within it, served as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility,” Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani posted on X.
He added that casualty figures issued by the Hamas-run media office “do not align with the information held by the IDF, the precise munitions used, and the accuracy of the strike.”
The school had been sheltering civilians, the IDF and Shin Bet added, noting that the IAF took measures to minimize the impact of the airstrike on that population.
Prior to the strike, extensive measures were taken to minimize the risk to Gazan civilians, including the use of precision-guided munitions, predictive means, and intelligence information, according to the statement.
“Hamas systematically violates international law by operating from civilian shelters and using the population as human shields for its terror activities,” the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) stated.
Hamas has been frequently criticized and recorded using civilian infrastructure as a shield for its terrorist activities both during the war and predating it. Only 4 days ago, Israel eliminated a Hamas commander using a Gazan school for cover.
In a statement on X on Saturday night, the IDF spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said that no women or children were present according to IDF intelligence. "In the video published by us today, you can see that the compound is still intact, and that there are no significant craters or damage to the main building," he added.
Reactions to the strike
"The Israeli strikes targeted the displaced people while performing Fajr (dawn) prayers, a matter that led to a rapid increase in the number of casualties," the Hamas media office said in a statement.
Palestinian Authority state-run news agency Wafa reported that over 100 people were killed in the strike.
Hamas condemned the strike, writing, "The massacre of the Al-Tabin school in the Daraj neighborhood is a continuation of the Nazi-Zionist genocide against our people, and the US administration is complicit in such crimes."
Hamas also accused Israel of falsely reporting that there were military targets embedded in the structure."The enemy army fabricates pretexts to target civilians, schools, hospitals, and tents of the displaced people, all of which are flimsy pretexts and blatant lies to justify its crimes," Hamas stated.
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese also condemned the strike, writing on X, "Gaza: In the largest and most shameful concentration camp of the 21st century, Israel is genociding the Palestinians one neighborhood at the time, one hospital at the time, one school at the time, one refugee camp at the time, one 'safe zone' at the time.
Gaza: In the largest and most shameful concentration camp of the 21st century, Israel is genociding the Palestinians one neighborhood at the time, one hospital at the time, one school at the time, one refugee camp at the time, one 'safe zone' at the time. With US and European… https://t.co/bHmrFbySYi
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) August 10, 2024
"With US and European weapons. And amid the indifference of all "civilised nations". May the Palestinians forgive us for our collective inability to protect them, honoring the most basic meaning of intl law."
Hamas politician Khalil Al-Hayya later claimed to Al Jazeera "All those killed in the occupation's massacres are women and children, and there is absolutely no justification for targeting our people" and added, "The occupation is unable to confront the resistance, and in the face of this inability, it vents its anger on the faces of innocent civilians."
The prime minister of Iraq also condemned the strike "carried out by the occupation that targeted Palestinian worshipers in the Tabeen School in Gaza."
Iraq's Foreign Ministry also described the military action as "barbaric."
Canada's foreign ministry said they condemned the "Israeli strike that killed Palestinian civilians sheltering at a school in Gaza, including children. Israel must uphold international humanitarian law. Hamas must stop putting civilian lives in danger."
Reuters contributed to this report.