An Israeli airstrike on the Tabeen school compound in central Gaza early on Saturday morning resulted in the deaths of at least 100 people and numerous injuries. The Gaza government reported that the facility, which had been serving as a shelter for those displaced by the ongoing conflict, was targeted by the Israeli military under the pretext of hitting a Hamas command centre inside the school. However, Hamas officials denied the presence of militants in the building at the time of the attack.
Video footage from the scene showed extensive damage, with walls blown out, debris scattered, and a blackened car covered in rubble. Witnesses described the chaos and devastation caused by the airstrike, which struck the school and the mosque inside where thousands of displaced individuals were seeking refuge.
The death toll is expected to rise as many of the casualties, including children, were unrecognizable due to the severity of the blast. This tragic incident adds to the grim statistics of schools being targeted during the conflict, with hundreds of educational facilities in Gaza being damaged or destroyed in recent weeks.
Israel has defended its actions by accusing Hamas of using civilian areas, including schools, as bases for operations and attacks. The international community has condemned the targeting of civilians and called for an immediate end to the violence in Gaza. The United Nations has also reported on the alarming number of civilian casualties and the impact on children and families caught in the crossfire of the conflict.
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