Bloody massacre: Reactions to Israeli attack on Gaza school
Hamas condemns ‘dangerous escalation’ while Qatar calls strike ‘brutal crime against defenceless civilians’.
A young girl cries inside a school used as a temporary shelter for displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, following an Israeli strike
Palestinian authorities say more than 100 people were killed and dozens wounded at the al-Tabin school, including women and children
An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter for displaced Palestinians in Gaza City has killed more than 100 people, including women and children, according to Palestinian officials who expect the death toll to rise.
The Israeli military claimed its air force on Saturday struck a command and control centre that served as a hideout for Hamas terrorists and commanders at al-Tabin school.
It did not provide evidence and said it had taken steps to reduce the risk of harming civilians while dismissing the death toll from Palestinian officials as inaccurate.
Here are some reactions to the attack:
Hamas
The massacre at al-Tabin school in the Daraj neighbourhood in central Gaza City is a horrific crime that constitutes a dangerous escalation,said the movement that governs the Gaza Strip.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the Palestinian group’s political bureau, said there were no armed men at the school.
Hamas said in its statement that Israel’s claims of the school being used as the group’s command centre are excuses to target civilians, schools, hospitals, and refugee tents, all of which are false pretexts and expose lies to justify its crimes.
We call on our Arab and Islamic countries and the international community to fulfill their responsibilities and take urgent action to stop these massacres and halt the escalating Zionist aggression against our people and defenseless citizens, the statement said.
Ismail al-Thawabta, the director general of Gaza’s Government Media Office, called on the international community and United Nations Security Council to pressure Israel to end this cascading bloodbath among our people, namely innocent women and children.
Fatah
Fatah, the rival Palestinian faction that last month signed a national unity agreement with Hamas, said the attack was a heinous bloody massacre that represents the peak of terrorism and criminality.
Committing these massacres confirms beyond a shadow of a doubt its efforts to exterminate our people through the policy of cumulative killing and mass massacres that make living consciences tremble, it said in a statement.
United States
National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement that far too many civilians continue to be killed and wounded and called for a ceasefire and a hostage deal.
Echoing Israel’s claims without providing evidence, Savett added: We know Hamas has been using schools as locations to gather and operate out of, but we have also said repeatedly and consistently that Israel must take measures to minimise civilian harm.
Iran
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, said the Israeli government’s goal was to thwart ceasefire negotiations and continue the war.
source: AI JAZEERA
