Abdel-Ati Israeli occupation forces’ claims about presence of militaries in Al-Tabeain school in Gaza is not true and aims to justify the massacre

Date:12.Aug.2024

Press Release 

Abdel-Ati Israeli occupation forces’ claims about presence of militaries in Al-Tabeain school in Gaza is not true and aims to justify the massacre.

Dr. Salah Abdel Ati, head of the International Commission to Support  Palestinian Rights “Hashd”, revealed the results of an investigation carried out by International Commission field team, indicates that Israeli occupation forces once again re-implemented the strategy of massacres among forcibly displaced people in shelter centres after most of the homes of citizens in Gaza Strip were destroyed and made 90% of Strip people forcibly displaced in shelter centres and tent gatherings. Since the beginning of the aggression, the International Commission has monitored the targeting of more than 200 shelter centres, most of them schools belonging to UNRWA, in addition to the tent, as a war crimes that killed thousands of martyrs and wounded in Last two months, the occupation forces intensified the process of targeting shelter centres that include thousands of displaced people, the latest of which was targeting the school of Al-Tabeain in Al-Darj neighbourhood of Gaza, which includes more than 6,000 forcibly displaced people. The targeting was through three American-made winged rockets, which caused destruction in the school, and the death of more than 100 martyrs, 32% of them children and women, and dozens were injured, , most of them have a serious injuries. The results of the investigation also showed that the martyrs and wounded as a result of targeting of the school, the most common feature of the nature of the injury and the bodies of the martyrs was cutting of the body and serious burns, even some martyrs They were not identified by their families, which indicates the use of internationally prohibited weapons.

Abdel-Ati indicated that after the massacre, which received wide international condemnations, and in an attempt to justify the massacre committed, the occupation army announced a list of 19 martyrs who were alleged to be resistance activists and that it targeted a headquarters for military operations, in a repeat of the habit of the Israeli occupation forces to publish untrue facts.

Abdel-Ati, as part of its efforts to monitor, document and follow up the crimes of Israeli occupation, the international Commission the work of a field investigation to follow up on crime explained that:

Field investigations and the testimonies of displaced people in the school prove that there is no evidence of the presence of any gunmen or weapons in the target school, in addition to the fact that the location of the school and its exposed characteristics, which contains narrow classrooms taken by the families, following repeated forced displacement, make it impossible to use it for any military purposes, which makes the attack on the school unjustified.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad completely denied the presence of any militants in the targeted school and any other schools, emphasizing the clear instructions of their fighting elements not to be among civilians in any case.

3 During the targeting, Israeli occupation army fired 3 American bombs with a huge ability to destroy, burn and cut bodies, killing more than 100 Palestinians, 32% of whom are women and children.

The field investigation and what was announced by the official authorities and what was confirmed by the families of the victims, shows the lying to the information about the names and positions published by Israeli occupation, from the list is names whose martyrdom was previously announced in other places and two days ago, while the rest of the names are displaced civilian figures that include government civil servants, university professors and preachers, and all of whom have no military association, and one of them was Sheikh Abu Anas Abu Saada, was invited to participate in the conclusion of a ceremony of a competition narration of the Holy Quran after the dawn prayer in the school worshippers, which was targeted by direct bombing.

Justifying the Israeli occupation itself is a full-fledged war crime. Even the targeting of fighters should be subject to the rules of international humanitarian law that prohibit side-legal killing, and require taking in consideration the reduction of accidental damage during the fighting and the principles of humanity and proportionality in the use of force and distinguishing between civilians and fighters.

Abdel-Ati indicated that the targeting operations of the schools that were bombed by the occupation forces took place without warning and resulted in a large number of victims, especially children and women, and widespread destruction, and that 70% of the targeting operations of shelters were carried out at night hours, which confirms Israeli occupation’s quest to terrorize civilians in addition to killing the targeted directly while they are asleep, which left alot of victims among children and women.

Abdel-Ati said that the repeated targeting of shelter schools, which escalated during the last week, as the occupation forces carried out a bombing targeting 10 schools used as shelter centres that inflicted a lot of martyrs and wounded, which puts the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents and displaced people in a serious danger due to the indifference of the occupation with the rules of international humanitarian law and the lives of civilians and displaced people.

It is confirmed by the statements of Israeli officials, especially the statements of ministers Katz, Ben Ghofur and Smuters in the racist fascist government of Yemen, as well as the racist statements of Netanyahu, a large group of ministers, members of Knesset, and even Israeli journalists who justify the genocide and demand it, the displacement and torture of Palestinians and their deprivation of food, water and livelihoods.

Abdel-Atistrongly condemned Israeli incitement against Palestinians, which reflects the brutal crimes including murder, massacres, injuries, widespread destruction, displacement, ethnic cleansing, torture, rape,and starvation.

Abdel-Atipointed out that Israeli occupation forces exercise their right to self-Defence are illegal aimed at justifying the crimes of genocide and terrorism of the occupation state and its war forces against civilians and civilian property in the occupied Palestinian territories..

Abdel-Atipointed out that Israeli occupation forces deliberately kill civilians and target citizens’ homes, shelter centres and tents for displaced people, and without warning constitute war crimes in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court, and renew their warning to Israeli occupation and its war forces of the policy of continuing to target civilians, which comes within the context of the ongoing genocide crime of the tenth month, and hold them legal responsibility for this.

Abdel-Ati called for the need to form an international coalition to ensure the minimum enforcement of United Nations resolutions, and to call on the High Contracting States Parties to Geneva Convention to convene an urgent meeting to declare (the State of Israel) that is not committed to the rules of fighting and war, and international humanitarian law and to discuss steps to protect Palestinians and impose sanctions on the Israeli occupation state.