Mustafa Haboush
August 10, 2024•Update: August 10, 2024
GAZA CITY, Palestine
Palestinian factions strongly condemned on Saturday the "horrific massacre" perpetrated by the Israeli army against displaced Palestinians seeking refuge at the Al-Taba'een school in the Al-Daraj neighborhood, central Gaza.
The attack, which targeted civilian worshipers performing fajr (dawn) prayers, killed over 100 Palestinians and injured several others.
The Islamic Jihad movement labeled 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.
Witnesses reported that three missiles targeted the prayer area turning it into a scene of carnage, with charred bodies and scattered remains.
With the bombing of Al-Taba'een 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.
Despite appeals on Thursday from mediators, including Egypt, the US, and Qatar, to stop hostilities, reach a cease-fire, and a hostage exchange agreement, Israel persists with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 39,700 people since last October following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
• Writing by Ikram Kouachi
