An Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced Palestinians killed more than 100 and injured several more on Saturday, in one of the deadliest attacks witnessed in Gaza in recent weeks.
The attack, which received worldwide condemnation, marks the fifth time in approximately two weeks that Israeli forces have bombed a shelter center.
Here are some reactions to the attack:
‘Indifference of Civilized Nations’ – Francesca Albanese
“Gaza: In the largest and most shameful concentration camp of the 21st century, Israel is genociding the Palestinians one neighborhood at the time, one hospital at the time, one school at the time, one refugee camp at the time, one ‘safe zone’ at the time,” Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on Palestine said on X.
She added: “With US and European weapons. And amid the indifference of all ‘civilized nations'”.
Gaza: In the largest and most shameful concentration camp of the 21st century, Israel is genociding the Palestinians one neighborhood at the time, one hospital at the time, one school at the time, one refugee camp at the time, one 'safe zone' at the time. With US and European… https://t.co/bHmrFbySYi
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) August 10, 2024
“May the Palestinians forgive us for our collective inability to protect them, honoring the most basic meaning of intl law,” Albanese lamented.
‘War Crime’ – Iran
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Nasser Kanaani strongly condemned the massacre saying “the cruel act is at once a flagrant instance of genocide, war crime and crime against humanity.”
He said the attack “once again proved that the apartheid Israeli regime does not comply with any of the rules and regulations of international law nor does it respect moral and humane principles.”
‘Peak of Criminality’ – 13 Schools Turned Shelters Targeted in Gaza by Israel in August alone
Kanaani added that the only way to deal with this cruel regime is for Muslim and freedom-loving nations to take firm and decisive action to support the Palestinian people and their legitimate struggle and resistance against the Israeli occupation and aggression, a statement from his office said.
‘No Justification’ – EU Chief
“There’s no justification for these massacres,” Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said on X. “We are dismayed by the terrible overall death toll.”
“We regret & condemn Minister Smotrich opposition – against the interest of the Israeli people – to a deal. A ceasefire is the only way to stop the killing of civilians and secure the hostages’ release,” Borrell added.
‘Unfolding Horrors’ – UNRWA Chief
“Another day of horror in Gaza,” UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini said on X. “Another school hit with reports of dozens of Palestinian killed among them women, children and older people.”
Another day of horror in #Gaza
Another school hit with reports of dozens of Palestinian killed among them women, children and older people.Schools, UN facilities and civilian infrastructure are #NOTaTarget
🛑Parties to the conflict must not use schools & other civilian…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 10, 2024
“It’s time for these horrors unfolding under our watch to end. We cannot let the unbearable become a new norm. The more recurrent, the more we lose our collective humanity,” he added.
‘Sabotage’ – Türkiye
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Israel “has committed a new crime against humanity by massacring” more than a hundred civilians who had taken refuge in a school building in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City.
“This attack demonstrated once again that the Netanyahu Government intends to sabotage the negotiations for a permanent ceasefire,” the ministry said. “International actors who do not take steps to stop Israel are complicit in Israel’s crimes.”
‘Compliance with ICJ’ – Spain
“We demand, once again, full compliance with the provisional measures imposed by the “International Court of Justice and the protection of the civilian population,” Spain’s Foreign Ministry reportedly said in a statement.
‘Undoubted War Crimes’ – Ireland
“This weekend has brought the grisly milestone of 40,000 deaths in Gaza a step closer,” said Simon Harris, Ireland’s Prime Minister.
In a statement, he added: “490 of Gaza’s schools have been bombed or damaged since the start of the war, and this weekend’s images from inside al-Taba’een school are gut-wrenching. Ireland condemns outright such awful and wholesale loss of civilian life.”
On the Logic of Israeli Massacres and the Dichotomy of Arab Mediation – ANALYSIS
“We have all been horrified by the many undoubted war crimes that have been committed in Gaza. There can be no impunity. Those responsible must be held to account,” he said. “All the legally binding orders of the ICJ must also be implemented in full.”
‘No Justification’ – Russia
Russian Foreign Ministry called on Israel to halt its attacks on civilian targets in Gaza.
In a statement, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reportedly said: “We believe there is no and can be no justification for such actions.”
‘Open Aggression’ – Pakistan
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the Israeli bombing of the school an “open aggression.”
“We once again reiterate our demand that the Israeli leadership and security forces be brought to justice for the genocide of Palestinian and war crimes committed in Palestine,” Sharif reportedly said.
‘Blatant Violation’ – Iraq
“These ongoing assaults on civilians constitute a blatant violation of international norms and conventions,” an Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement reportedly said.
“They also demonstrate Israel’s disregard for global efforts aimed at achieving a cease-fire in Gaza,” it added.
The ministry urged the international community, particularly the Islamic world, to “take a firm stance to halt the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians.”
‘Brutal Crimes’ – Qatar
“This act is deemed a horrific massacre, a brutal crime against defenseless civilians, and a flagrant infringement of the fundamental precepts of international humanitarian law and UN Security Council resolution 2601,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Qatar Strongly Condemns Israeli Occupation's Bombing of School in Gaza Strip#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/EVSRHvkbJB
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) August 10, 2024
The Ministry reiterated its call for conducting an “urgent international investigation by dispatching independent UN investigators to probe the ongoing targeting by Israeli occupation forces of schools and shelters for displaced people.”
It called on Israel to “abide by international laws.”
‘Blatant Disregard’ – Egypt
In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and accused Tel Aviv of a “lack of genuine intent” to end the ongoing war.
The ministry said the attack is a “blatant disregard for international and humanitarian law.”
“The persistent large-scale attacks and the high civilian casualties increase whenever efforts to negotiate a cease-fire intensify,” it reportedly added.
‘Stop the Mass Genocide’ – Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned “in the strongest terms” the massacre, stressing “the need to stop the mass genocide in Gaza Strip which is undergoing the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe due to the Israeli occupation’s continuous violations of international humanitarian law.”
#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation in the strongest terms the Israeli occupation forces’ targeting of Al-Tabeen school, which shelters displaced people in Al Daraj neighborhood east of Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/2MbVnUp4YQ
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) August 10, 2024
“The Kingdom also denounces the international community’s failure to hold Israel accountable for these violations,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Jordan
Sufyan Qudah, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, expressed his country’s condemnation of Israel’s continued “breaches of international law and humanitarian norms.”
“This targeted attack, which comes at a time when mediators are making efforts to resume negotiations for a hostage exchange deal that could lead to a permanent cease-fire, signals the Israeli government’s intent to obstruct and undermine these efforts,” he reportedly said.
‘Zionist Nazi Genocide’ – Hamas
The Resistance movement Hamas said the massacre was “a continuation of the Zionist Nazi genocide against our people, with the US administration complicit in the crimes.”
The movement said the massacre “is a horrific crime that marks a dangerous escalation in the unprecedented series of crimes and massacres in the history of wars, perpetrated in the Gaza Strip by the new Nazis.”
Hamas said the Israeli army “fabricates excuses to target civilians, schools, hospitals, and displacement camps, all of which are flimsy pretexts and exposed lies to justify its crimes,” adding that its actions “would not have continued without the direct American support … by covering up their crimes and providing them with all forms of political and military support, which makes the US fully complicit in these crimes.”
‘Horrific Crime’ – Israeli Strike on Tabaeen School Kills over 100 Palestinians
The movement called “on our Arab and Islamic countries and the international community to fulfill their responsibilities and take urgent action to stop these massacres and the escalating Zionist aggression against our unarmed people and families.”
Hamas also denied “the narrative” by Israel “claiming” that there were members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad at the school, saying it was “misleading and false” and “an attempt to justify its heinous crime amid widespread international criticism.
“The claims made by the occupation army are false and baseless. We affirm that among those who were martyred in today’s massacre, there was not a single armed individual; all of them were civilians targeted while performing the Fajr prayer. The list includes children, civilian employees, university professors, and religious figures, most of whom have no connection to any political or military activities.”
(PC, Anadolu, MEMO, WAFA)
It is very disheartening and depressing to know as a US citizen my government is complicit and actively engaged in the genocide of the Palestinian people. What a tragedy!