The IDF reported Sunday that Hamas terrorists are increasingly using schools to hide and conduct terror activity, exploiting the presence of refugees as human shields. Since the onset of the war, schools in Gaza have become shelters for thousands of Palestinian refugees who fled their destroyed homes.
In recent weeks, a notable increase in IDF airstrikes on these facilities has been recorded, and these attacks carry a heightened risk of civilian casualties, which was underscored by a recent strike that has sparked global outrage amid Palestinian claims of dozens of deaths.
Palestinian officials assert that at least 80 people were killed in Saturday's strike on the Al-Ta’been School in Gaza City’s Daraj Tuffah neighborhood. Images circulating from the scene show widespread destruction, bloodstains and even body parts.
The IDF, however, says that Hamas has exaggerated the death toll, insisting that the strike was carried out with three “highly precise munitions” and that, according to military intelligence, the damage was not as extensive as Hamas is claiming. The IDF also emphasized that, as in previous school strikes, it took measures to ensure that no civilians were at risk, including aerial and intelligence surveillance prior to the attack.
In response to Western condemnation and international media coverage of the incident, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari accused Hamas of increasingly and cynically using Gaza’s schools. “In recent months, Hamas has focused on exploiting school buildings, often housing civilians, using them as military installations, command and control centers, weapon storage facilities, and for launching terrorist activities,” Hagari said.
Regarding the Al-Ta’been School strike, Hagari said that there had been close monitoring of an “active military installation” of Hamas and Islamic Jihad within the school complex in recent weeks and that the IDF confirmed the elimination of at least 19 terrorists operating there. “We have intelligence indications that Ashraf Judeh, the commander of Islamic Jihad’s Central Camps Brigade, was present at the site,” he said, but did not confirm whether the senior terrorist was killed.
“After receiving clear intelligence on the threat posed by the terrorists, and in accordance with international law, we took numerous steps to minimize the risk to civilians, including the use of aerial surveillance before the strike and the selection of very precise munitions to avoid civilian casualties,” Hagari added, stressing that, according to IDF intelligence, no women or children were present in the specific building that was targeted within the school compound. The IDF also released footage of the strike, claiming it demonstrates that the compound remains intact with no significant craters or damage to the main building.
Hagari reiterated that Hamas inflates casualty figures and criticized global media outlets for echoing these claims. “These figures do not differentiate between terrorists and civilians and do not match the information available to the IDF,” he said, though he did not deny that any civilians were killed in the strike. “Israel views civilian casualties as a tragedy, while Hamas sees them as a strategy. The IDF will continue to operate within the bounds of international law, aiming to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities and to bring home all 115 of our hostages – men, women, children, and the elderly – who have been held in Gaza for over 300 days under horrific conditions. We are working to create the conditions to bring them home.”