Al-Tabaeen school attack

On 10 August 2024, Israel struck the Al-Tabaeen school located in eastern Gaza City, which was hosting displaced Palestinians seeking shelter there during the Gaza war. According to Palestinian health authorities, at least 80 Palestinians were killed and 47 others were injured, with several victims being trapped in the school as the fire spread. The IDF claimed that these numbers were inflated.

At around 4:40 during Fajr morning prayers in the Al-Tabaeen school, which was being used to house roughly 6,000 refugees and internally displaced Palestinian citizens, three rockets struck the building, causing the structure to collapse. Consequently, a fire broke out that caused several more casualties. Attempts by rescue workers and other civilians to reduce the spread of the fire and save the lives of trapped civilians were seriously impeded due to the Israeli military cutting off the region's water supply.

It was the fifth attack on a school in a week and the UN Human Rights Office said it was "horrified by the unfolding pattern" of attacks on schools. An Al Jazeera investigation found that the bombing was deliberately performed to result in maximum casualties. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that the school "contained 31 Hamas and PIJ terrorists" and was being used as a "Hamas headquarters". Additionally they stated that they had taken steps to prevent harm to civilians. Analysing the IDF's official explanations, the Israeli investigative journalist Meron Rapoport concluded that "the army bombed a populated shelter knowing full well the deadly repercussions its assault would inflict." A CNN weapons expert identified shrapnel evident in footage from the aftermath of the attack as coming from a GBU-39 manufactured by the US-based Boeing.

The attack happened amidst negotiations for the three-phase ceasefire proposal between Israel and Palestinian factions. It was the fifth attack on a school in a week and the eighth in the month of August. The UN Human Rights Office said it was "horrified by the unfolding pattern" of attacks on schools.

At around 4:40 during Fajr morning prayers in the Al-Tabaeen school, which was being used to house roughly 6,000 refugees and internally displaced Palestinian citizens, three rockets struck the building, causing the structure to collapse. According to witnesses, no warning was given prior to the attack. The number of Palestinians in the school was higher during the attack due to it occurring during Fajr prayer, with eyewitnesses stating that roughly 250 people were inside the prayer hall at the time of the strikes.

Due to the impact of the rockets, a fire started that caused several more casualties from victims who survived the initial blast but were trapped in the rubble and debris. Rescue workers who arrived at the scene and attempted to put out the blaze were unable to free several of those trapped under the wreckage before they were overcome by the spreading smoke and fire, which reportedly included whole families. Attempts by rescue workers and other civilians to reduce the spread of the fire and save the lives of trapped civilians were seriously impeded due to the Israeli military cutting off the region's water supply. Footage from the attack showed body parts strewn across the ground.

The director of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital said that at least 80 Palestinians were killed. The Gaza Health Ministry stated that 47 were injured. A regional director for Save the Children called it the deadliest attack on a school since October 2023. The Palestinian Civil Defence said that 11 children and six women were among the victims, and elderly civilians were also reported to be among the victims of the disaster. The Gaza Civil Defense stated some bodies were unidentifiable due to their bodies being "torn and charred by the bombardment." A man who rushed to the scene stated that the "smell of burnt flesh filled the air, with body parts scattered around." The IDF said that these numbers appeared to have been inflated.

The IDF and Shin Bet initially released the names of 19 people, and later a further 12, that they said had been killed in the strike and alleged that they were Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militants. Additionally, they accused the Gaza Health Ministry of inflating the death toll. As soon as the initial list of 19 was published, it immediately began to be disassembled by analysts and commentators. According to an on-site investigation conducted by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (EMHRM), which examined the list against the Israeli-controlled civil register, Israel recycled three names of alleged militants, one of whom, Ahmed Ihab al-Jaabari, had been killed on 5 December, and two of whom, Youssef al-Wadiyya and Montaser Daher, had been killed a few days earlier in different areas of Gaza. The list also included the names of three elderly civilians with no military affiliations, namely Abdul Aziz Misbah al-Kafarna, a school principal, and Yousef Kahlout, an Arabic teacher and deputy mayor of Beit Hanoun. Among six other civilians, EMHRM further stated that some were known opponents of Hamas. Al-Haq, and surviving relatives of other fatalities have also contested Israel's accusations. One survivor of the attack stated: "This war is against us, the civilians, through and through." Hamas released a statement "categorically denying" that there were any armed men at the school.