Israel warplanes strike Al Tabaeen school in main Gaza City where displaced Palestinians were holding Fajr [dawn] prayers, says Palestine’s WAFA news agency.
GAZA – Palestinian factions have strongly condemned the “horrific massacre” perpetrated by the Israeli army against displaced Palestinians seeking refuge at the Tabaeen school in the Daraj neighbourhood, central Gaza.
The attack, which targeted civilian worshipers performing fajr (dawn) prayers, killed over 100 Palestinians and injured several others.
The Islamic Jihad movement labelled the attack as a “full-fledged war crime,” and said: “choosing the timing of the dawn prayer to carry out this horrific and terrible massacre confirms that the enemy had the intention to cause the largest possible number of martyrs among civilians, including children and the elderly.”
The Palestinian group Hamas also issued a statement condemning the “massacre,” calling it “a severe crime against humanity.”
The movement highlighted that this incident is part of a “broader pattern of violence, including previous attacks on hospitals and residential buildings.”
Fatah spokesperson Munther Al-Hayek said the attack is “a heinous crime against displaced civilians” and called on the international community to intervene immediately.
“The blood of children cries out to the global conscience to stop the genocide being committed by Israel in Gaza,” Hayek stated.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) also condemned the “massacre,” arguing that “such crimes could only be committed by Israel due to the political and military backing” it receives from the US and the “deafening silence” of the international community.
A scene of carnage
Witnesses reported that three missiles targeted the prayer area turning it into a scene of carnage, with charred bodies and scattered remains.
Local civil defence officials said the Israeli military fired three missiles on the school, flattening the building. They said they have not managed to locate all the victims yet.
With the bombing of Al Tabaeen school, the total number of schools targeted by the Israeli army in Gaza City over the past week has increased to six, according to an Anadolu tally.
Palestine’s media office in Gaza held Israel and the US “responsible for the massacre.”
Despite appeals on Thursday from mediators, including Egypt, the US, and Qatar, to stop hostilities, reach a ceasefire, and a hostage exchange agreement, Israel persists with its deadly offensive on Gaza.
C. TRT WORLD
