Massacre During Dawn Prayer in Gaza: Over 100 Martyrs

The death toll from the Al-Tabain School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza City has risen to over 100 martyrs, with dozens injured and missing in one of the largest massacres Gaza has witnessed in recent weeks.

The Government Media Office in Gaza reported that over 100 martyrs lost their lives, and dozens were injured as a result of the massacre following the Israeli bombing of Al-Tabain School.

According to the statement, the occupation army directly bombed the displaced during the dawn prayer, rapidly increasing the number of martyrs. Eyewitnesses reported that the bombing began immediately after the Takbir of Ihram.

The Media Office indicated that, due to the horror of the massacre and the large number of martyrs, medical teams, civil defense, relief, and emergency teams have not yet been able to recover all the martyrs.

6,000 Kilograms of Explosives

The Director General of the Government Information Office in Gaza, Ismail Al-Sawabta, stated that the Israeli occupation bombed a school housing displaced persons with three missiles, each weighing 2,000 kilograms of explosives.

He emphasized that the occupation army was aware of the presence of displaced persons inside the school and that the Israeli army's narrative of what happened was filled with lies and misinformation to justify the crimes committed against our people.

Civil Defense Difficulties

The Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson, Mahmoud Basal, said that the Israeli occupation forces bombed the Al-Tabain School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood with three missiles, killing displaced people who were praying the dawn prayer in the school.

He added that the bombing resulted in the death of approximately 90% of the worshippers, and most of the injured were in critical condition.

The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip stated that the occupation targeted two floors of the school, the first of which was allocated to women, and also served as a place of worship for the displaced. It noted that the occupation has targeted 13 shelter centers for displaced persons since the beginning of this month and called on the international community to urgently intervene to stop the massacres against defenseless civilians in shelter centers.

The Al Jazeera correspondent reported that the school housed more than two thousand displaced people from various areas of Gaza. This is the fifth shelter facility bombed by the occupation forces in approximately two weeks.

Shocking Images and Public Reactions

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza, Anas Al Sharif, reported that the bodies of the martyrs were burned and charred, with some scattered in the schoolyard due to the intensity of the explosion that targeted them while they were praying.

The correspondent stated that the death toll mentioned in official figures is preliminary, and the actual number of martyrs may be higher than reported so far.

At Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, where the injured were transferred, the conditions were catastrophic due to the lack of beds for patients, and medical teams were unable to provide the necessary medical care due to the shortage of equipment, supplies, medicine, and treatment. This is due to the ongoing siege and destruction that the health sector and others have faced in Gaza since the start of the offensive on October 7.

The correspondent also reported the shock and horror experienced by the public as they watched the shattered remains of their loved ones, some of whom had not yet been wrapped in shrouds due to the shortage. The continuous death toll in Gaza has turned shrouds into a basic necessity.

Israel Admits It

The Israeli army admitted to bombing the Al-Tabain School, which housed approximately two thousand displaced persons, and which was expected to provide them with a safe haven after leaving their homes.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adraee, in a statement regarding the area used as a shelter, claimed that Hamas members used the school as a command center to hide and promote various terrorist attacks against IDF forces and Israel.

Reactions:

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response, stated that the deliberate killing of Palestinians is conclusive proof that Israel lacks the political will to end the war.

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also strongly condemned the bombing of the Al-Tabain School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood, where displaced persons were taking refuge, calling it a flagrant violation of international law and a systematic attack on civilians.

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) stated that the massacre at the Al-Tabain School represents "a heinous crime and a dangerous escalation in the series of crimes committed by neo-Nazis in Gaza," and that it also represents "a clear confirmation that the Zionist government is waging a war of extermination against our people."

Hamas added: "The occupation army is fabricating false excuses and blatant lies to target civilians, schools, and hospitals."

The movement's statement emphasized that "the escalation of Zionist crimes in the Gaza Strip could not continue without U.S. support, making Washington a partner in these crimes."

Arab and Islamic countries and the international community were called upon to assume their responsibilities and take immediate action to stop these massacres and curb the Zionist aggression against defenseless Palestinians.

As for the resistance committees in Palestine, they stated that "the killing of displaced people at the Al-Tabain School was carried out with American weapons supplied to the Zionist army," and called on the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the occupied territories to "revive and escalate the revolution and resistance."

For its part, the Islamic Jihad movement described the targeting of displaced worshippers by Israeli occupation forces at the Al-Tabain School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood as a full-fledged war crime.

They added that the excuses presented by the occupation army to destroy the schools were the same as those previously used to destroy hospitals and have been proven to be lies.

They emphasized that the inability of international institutions and courts to declare the leaders of the occupation as war criminals has contributed to their persistence in continuing these crimes.

Source: Al Jazeera