1 of 3 | Israeli Defense Forces announced a successful strike Saturday morning on a Hamas command center housed inside a school in Gaza that the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said killed 100, but the IDF said far fewer died. Photo by Mahmoud Zaki
Israel Defense Forces early Saturday morning struck an alleged Hamas command center located inside a school that also houses a mosque, killing dozens.
The Gaza-run Health Ministry ministry reported at least 100 people died and hundreds were injured during early morning prayers at the Al-Tabi’in school in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza. Israel Defense Forces said far fewer were killed and they were Hamas militants. Advertisement
“This attack is part of a pattern of daily atrocities committed by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza and the West Bank,” the self-proclaimed presidency of the state of Palestine posted on X.
The post said President Joe Biden’s administration is responsible for the “massacre” due to its support of Israel.
IDF officials said the Health Ministry numbers “do not align with the information held by the IDF, the precise munitions used, and the accuracy of the strike. The IDF continues to examine and calls on the media to act with caution about information released by Hamas sources, as they have been proven to be sorely unreliable.”
The IDF said they struck a command room set up inside the school where Palestinian civilians sought shelter and an estimated 20 militants, including Hamas commanders, were inside the room when the airstrike occurred. Advertisement
The IDF said Israeli intelligence determined the school housed a command center and used aerial surveillance and smart weapons to strike the command center.
Hamas officials denied having a command center inside the school.
The multinational NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence said Hamas has used human shields in conflicts with Israel since 2007 in violation of international law.
The IDF also reported its forces killed senior Hamas commander Walid al-Sousi in an airstrike in Gaza on Friday night.
Al-Sousi led Hamas’ General Security Apparatus in southern Gaza and managed intelligence while suppressing opposition to Hamas’ control of Gaza.
The IDF reported Israeli Air Force jets and the Israel Military Intelligence Directorate targeted al-Sousi.
It is unclear if al-Sousi was among those the IDF said it killed in the airstrike on the alleged command center inside the Al-Tabi-in school.
