The Mustafa Hafez school, like many other schools and hospitals in Gaza, had become a refuge for those fleeing relentless bombings, especially from the northern parts of the Gaza Strip. (Related: Despite overwhelming advantage in military equipment, Israel is incapable of destroying Hamas in Gaza, U.S. officials have now concluded.)
The bombing of the school caused the ceiling to collapse, burying hundreds of families who had sought safety inside. Gaza's Civil Defense warns that many more people than the 12 confirmed dead are trapped underneath the rubble, with rescue operations ongoing but severely hampered by a lack of adequate equipment.
"Rescuers are unable to reach them due to a lack of equipment," the Civil Defense noted, highlighting the dire situation on the ground.
"After Israeli forces targeted the school, the ceiling of the building collapsed on top of the people … it had at least 700 families that were sheltering from different parts of the Gaza Strip," the report stated, underscoring the scale of the tragedy.
Israel still targeting civilians in Gaza
This airstrike is part of a broader pattern of attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza.
Just days earlier, on Aug. 10, Israeli forces bombed the Tabi'in school near Gaza City, killing approximately 100 displaced Palestinians who were performing morning prayers at the time of the attack.
Gaza's Civil Defense revealed that the Tabi’in school was hit by three missiles, including a United States-supplied 2,000-kilogram Mark 84 bomb, demonstrating the overwhelming force used in these strikes.
The Aug. 20 massacre coincides with ongoing battles between Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance groups, particularly in the southern Gaza Strip.
Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, reported targeting an Israeli D9 military bulldozer with an explosive device near the Red Housing Junction in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah. The Qassam Brigades also conducted several other operations near Rafah, indicating continued and intense resistance.
Additionally, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announced a joint operation with the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Martyr Omar al-Qasim Forces.
The two factions claimed to have bombed Israeli supply lines near the Turkish Hospital on the Netzarim Corridor, an occupation zone established by the Israeli Defense Forces cutting the Gaza strip in two, using rockets and mortars.
Meanwhile, ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have made little progress.
Hamas has withdrawn from the latest round of talks, rejecting a new U.S.-backed proposal that Washington claims Israel has already agreed to. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been resistant to accepting any kind of peace deal.
"I’m not sure there will be a deal, but if there is a deal – it will be a deal that preserves the interests that I repeat over and over again, which is the preservation of Israel’s strategic assets," said Netanyahu. He also firmly rejected any notion of withdrawing Israeli forces from key areas, particularly the Gaza-Egypt border and the Netzarim corridor.
His hardline stance has been criticized by some as a deliberate move to derail the peace process, further complicating the already fraught negotiations.
Watch this clip showing interviews on witnesses of the Al-Tabi'in school bombing which killed over 100 Palestinian civilians.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
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Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, say local authorities.
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