Hamas Claims 100 Killed; Israel: 20 Militants Dead

On Saturday, August 20, the Israeli army announced that it killed nearly 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants in an operation. Nadav Shoshani, the international spokesperson for the Israeli army, stated in a post on social media platform 'X' that those killed were conducting terrorist attacks from within the attacked area at the 'Al-Tabeen' school. According to him, this area and the attacked mosque were active military centers for Hamas and Islamic Jihad. He dismissed Hamas's claim of nearly 100 deaths, including 11 children and 6 women, arguing that this figure does not align with the information available to the Israeli army, nor with the precision of the weapons used. The spokesperson urged international media to exercise caution regarding information released by Hamas, which has repeatedly proven to be 'highly unreliable.' In related news, Israeli army radio reported that the attacked mosque consisted of three sections for children, women, and men, and that only the terrorists hiding in the men's section were targeted. The Hebrew-language account of the Israeli army on X reiterated that Hamas systematically violates international laws, conducts operations from civilian shelters, and uses civilians as human shields to advance its terrorist activities. Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, expressed his 'horror' at images from the school. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, called on the United States, as Israel's ally, to end what he termed 'blind support' for the country. Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey also condemned the Israeli attack. Following Hamas's terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 15 and Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza aimed at dismantling this Iran-backed group and freeing kidnapped hostages, tens of thousands of civilians in the area have temporarily taken refuge in schools in this densely populated strip. Palestinian sources reported that in two other Israeli army attacks on Saturday, at least four Palestinians were killed in Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah. Amid growing concerns about the potential for regional war between the Iranian government and its proxies with Israel, a new round of ceasefire negotiations is set to take place, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed that the war will continue until the threat from Hamas against Israelis is eliminated, stated that his country's delegation would attend the negotiations. A Hamas official told Reuters that the group is considering a new proposal for negotiations but refrained from providing further details. During the October 15 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, 1,200 citizens, mostly civilians, were killed, and over 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly, were kidnapped. Israel, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada consider Hamas a terrorist organization. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation held Israel responsible for the death of Ismail Haniyeh and condemned the action. Israel reported the discovery and destruction of a three-kilometer tunnel in central Gaza. The Presidents of the United States and Egypt, along with the Emir of Qatar, called for the finalization of a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages in Gaza.