Fadl Naeem, the head of al-Ahli Hospital, described the situation as “catastrophic,” as doctors struggled to treat the severely wounded. Many victims were so badly disfigured that identification was nearly impossible. The al-Taba’een school, which had served as a refuge for over 1,000 people displaced from Beit Hanoun, was targeted during dawn prayers. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the school was an active military facility for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with around 20 militants operating there. Hamas denies this claim.
Earlier reports estimated the death toll in the dozens, with the Hamas-run health ministry’s ambulance service reporting more than 60 deaths, while the civil defense agency put the number at over 90. Israel has attacked several similar shelters in Gaza in recent weeks. The United Nations reported that by July 6th, 477 out of 564 school buildings in Gaza had been directly hit or damaged, with at least 14 more targeted since.
Eyewitnesses recounted the horror of the strike. Jaafar Taha, a student living near the school, described the scene as “horrific,” with body parts strewn everywhere and blood covering the walls. Salim Oweis, a spokesperson for UNICEF, called the attack “really outrageous,” emphasizing that these schools were packed with civilians, including children, mothers, and families seeking refuge.
The IDF stated that the strike precisely targeted Hamas terrorists operating within a command and control center embedded in the school. IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani asserted that the casualty figures released by Hamas officials did not align with Israeli intelligence, the precision of the munitions used, or the accuracy of the strike.
Hamas condemned the attack as a “horrific crime and a dangerous escalation” in what it described as Israel’s “war of extermination against the Palestinian people.” Fatah, Hamas’s political rival in the West Bank, echoed this sentiment, accusing Israel of pursuing a policy of cumulative killing aimed at exterminating Palestinians.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, the UN agency that aids Palestinians, called for an end to the horrors unfolding in Gaza. The UK’s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, expressed his shock at the “tragic loss of life” and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Targeting school buildings has become a frequent aspect of IDF operations in recent weeks, as part of their stated effort to destroy Hamas military infrastructure. Since early July, more than a dozen schools have been hit, with the IDF consistently claiming that Hamas was using these schools as command centers for planning and carrying out attacks. Hamas denies these accusations.
The impact of this latest incident on ongoing ceasefire negotiations remains unclear. Efforts to reach a truce were set back by the recent assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey have expressed concerns, accusing Israel of lacking the political will to end the war. The conflict was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7th, which resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths and the taking of 251 hostages back to Gaza. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 39,790 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
