Hamas Condemns Israeli Attack on Gaza School as Part of 'Extermination Campaign'

The resistance group described the incident as a "horrific crime" and labeled it a significant escalation in an "unprecedented series of crimes and massacres in the history of wars."

Israel, in a statement defending the strike, claimed the school was being used as an "active compound" by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The Israeli military said it had intelligence suggesting that 20 fighters, including senior commanders from these groups, were operating from the school.

In response to Israel's claims, Hamas rejected the allegations, stating that the justifications provided were "false" and merely "excuses to target civilians, schools, hospitals, and refugee tents, all of which are false pretexts and exposed lies to justify its crimes."

Hamas called on Arab and Islamic countries, as well as the international community, “to fulfill their responsibilities and take urgent action to stop "these massacres and halt escalating Zionist aggression" against their people and defenseless civilians.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported that the civilian casualty toll, continues to rise, with many victims, including women and children, suffering severe shrapnel and burn wounds.

In a related development, Israeli forces carried out an aerial assault in the Mann area, east of Khan Younis, killing seven people, according to the Wafa news agency.

Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal provided a harrowing account of the aftermath at the al-Tabin school, stating that the area was "strewn with dead bodies and body parts," making it difficult for paramedics to identify complete bodies.

"Medical teams stand helpless before this horrific scene," Basal added.