On 10 August 2024, at around 4:40 a.m. during Fajr morning prayers, Israeli forces struck the Al-Tabaeen school in eastern Gaza City, which was being used to shelter roughly 6,000 displaced Palestinians. Three munitions hit the building, causing part of the structure to collapse and sparking a fire that trapped and killed civilians, including whole families, according to witness and rescue-worker accounts. Witnesses said no warning was given before the strike, and roughly 250 people were reportedly inside the prayer hall at the time. Rescue efforts to control the fire and free trapped survivors were reportedly hampered by the Israeli military having cut off the region's water supply.
Palestinian health authorities, including the director of Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, said at least 80 people were killed and the Gaza Health Ministry reported 47 injured; the Palestinian Civil Defence said 11 children and six women were among the dead, with some bodies unidentifiable due to burning. The Israeli military said these figures appeared inflated. The IDF and Shin Bet released lists naming 31 people they said were Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants killed in the strike, describing the site as a "Hamas headquarters." Analysts, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (EMHRM), and family members disputed this characterization, saying the list included civilians such as a school principal, an Arabic teacher, and a hospital administrator, and noted that some names appeared to duplicate people already reported killed elsewhere or earlier. Hamas denied that armed men or a command center were present at the school.
An Al Jazeera verification investigation (Sanad) concluded the strike was carried out to maximize casualties, noting the munitions penetrated the women's and men's prayer areas just as dawn prayers were beginning. A CNN weapons analysis identified shrapnel from the attack site as consistent with a Boeing-manufactured GBU-39 munition. EMHRM's preliminary investigation reported finding no evidence of militants or military equipment at the site and said the building's layout made military use unlikely. The Israeli government said it had used precision munitions and taken steps to reduce civilian harm, and provided aerial imagery it said showed limited damage; it accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
The attack was reported as the fifth strike on a school in a week and the 21st recorded strike on a school-turned-shelter since 4 July, according to the UN Human Rights Office, which said it was "horrified by the unfolding pattern" of such attacks. International reactions included condemnation from numerous governments and international bodies, including the UN, EU, and Arab League, alongside statements from Israeli and U.S. officials defending or expressing concern over the strike. Save the Children called it the deadliest attack on a school since October 2023.
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