The New Dark Age

After committing a massacre at a school in Gaza City, the Israeli military claimed that the facility, which housed over 6,000 displaced civilians, was being used as a Hamas command center. The military released the names of alleged fighters killed in the attack. However, some of those identified as militants were killed months earlier, and every claim made by Israel is contradicted by substantial evidence. After committing a massacre at a school in Gaza City, the Israeli military claimed that the facility, which housed over 6,000 displaced civilians, was being used as a Hamas command center. The military released the names of alleged fighters killed in the attack. However, some of those identified as militants were killed months earlier, and every claim made by Israel is contradicted by substantial evidence.

The August 10 massacre at Gaza City’s Tabeen School resulted in the deaths of over 100 civilians and left 280 others injured. Following the spread of gruesome images on social media showing the lifeless bodies of children amid the carnage, the Israeli army asserted that the school was being used as a Hamas command center.

In response, Israel released the names and photographs of 19 Palestinians, whom they labeled as operatives of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The Israeli military claimed these individuals were “eliminated” in a “Hamas command and control center, embedded inside a mosque within the Al-Tabeen school compound.” Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated, “We took numerous steps to mitigate the risk to civilians. The IDF conducted a precision strike against the terrorists in one specific building of the compound—an area where, according to our intelligence, no women and children were present.”

Save the Children released a statement addressing the strike, highlighting it as the worst attack on a school in the past ten months. The organization noted that “school attacks are happening at least weekly, with three occurring in a single 48-hour period last week.” The statement further expressed devastation at the impact, especially on children. It criticized the measures claimed to safeguard civilians, stating that such efforts are “not what we are seeing in Gaza.”

An initial investigation by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor into the attack found that the school’s narrow layout and lack of launch pads or shelters would make using the site for military operations impossible. The report emphasized that the building’s cramped layout and tight spaces rendered it unsuitable for military activities requiring planning and logistical support.

The report further stated that, according to all available information and testimonies, the school had no military gatherings or centers, and it was never used for military objectives. Survivors testified that the school provided shelter to hundreds of children whose families believed it to be a safe refuge.

The area targeted in the strike on the school compound was the prayer hall of a mosque, including the upper level used explicitly for housing women and children. The strike occurred during Fajr (morning) prayers when worshippers would be gathered closely together. This timing contributed to the horrific aftermath, where the shredded remains of bodies had to be collected in 70-kilogram plastic bags, each one representing a victim.

The Israeli military also released the names of alleged PIJ and Hamas operatives they claimed to have “eliminated” on August 10. However, this list included several discrepancies. Ahmad Ehab al-Jaabari, listed as a “terrorist,” was killed on December 5 of the previous year. Yousef Said al-Wadia had died just two days before the attack, on August 8, and Montaser Nasser Daher was killed in an apartment building on August 9.

Another name on the list was Burham al-Jaabari, who the Israeli army identified as a “combat propaganda operative in the Islamic Jihad.” Israel had previously detained Burham and subsequently released him. He would likely have remained in detention if he were an active threat or part of any militant group. Additionally, the term “combat propaganda operative” is vague and appears to be a fabricated designation that doesn’t describe any specific activity. This raises questions about whether it simply refers to a journalist, which Burham was not, or someone who shares content online.

The list of those allegedly “eliminated” by Israel also included civilian employees with no connection to any military group, among them three elderly civilians. These individuals included a school principal, the deputy mayor of Beit Hanoun, an academic, an Arabic language teacher, and six other civilians, some of whom were even opponents of Hamas.

Despite on-the-ground reporting by journalists, eyewitness testimonies, accounts from human rights groups, and video and photographic evidence from the scene indicating a civilian massacre, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told Sky News that there were “no civilians in the area.” Mencer further claimed that Israel had exclusively targeted fighters, dismissing concerns about “collateral damage” and stating, “This is a PR [Public Relations] battle,” implying that the evidence witnessed by millions around the world was non-existent and merely part of a Hamas propaganda effort.

Israel later released an updated list of 31 names, including the original 19, claiming these individuals were “terrorists” eliminated in the attack. This revision suggests that days after the strike, Israel reassessed its so-called accurate intelligence, now asserting the presence of dozens of fighters at the scene. This new list raised the death toll while disregarding the fact that it included people who were killed in separate incidents.

The Israeli government also claimed that drone footage it released showed no civilian presence and that the strike was precise. However, the footage was a short, cropped clip that failed to support the conclusions they hoped viewers would draw.

Feature photo | This image made from a video, shows the yard a school after being hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, Aug. 10, 2024. Photo | AP

Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe.’ Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47