White House and European Countries Respond to Deadly Israeli Attack on School in Gaza

The deadly Israeli attack on a school in Gaza City, reportedly a shelter for Palestinian refugees, has sparked widespread international reactions. Apart from Arab and Islamic countries in the region, the White House expressed concern over civilian casualties, and France called for Israel to respect international humanitarian laws. The Israeli army, in its first statement regarding the attack on the 'Tabe'in' school in Gaza City, claimed that members of the extremist group Hamas were hiding in the school and directing operations against Israeli citizens and forces from there. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council on Saturday, August 20, expressed the U.S. government's 'deep concern' over reports of civilian casualties in Gaza following the Israeli attack on a school. The statement noted that Israeli officials claimed they targeted Hamas members, but the United States called for 'more details' on this matter. The U.S. National Security Council emphasized that Hamas uses schools for military purposes, adding: 'We have repeatedly stated that Israel must take measures to reduce civilian casualties.' The White House, recalling the deaths and injuries of 'a very large number of civilians' in Palestine, reiterated the necessity of reaching a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, also stated that the deadly Israeli attack left him 'horrified.' Additionally, the French Foreign Ministry reacted to the attack, stating: 'For several weeks, school buildings have been repeatedly targeted, and the number of civilian casualties is unbearable.' David Lammy, the British Foreign Secretary, reacted to the Israeli army's attack on the 'Tabe'in' school in the 'Darge' neighborhood of Gaza City, writing on X (formerly Twitter): 'We need an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians, release all hostages, and end restrictions on aid.' Earlier, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories accused Israel of 'genocide' on X. Francesca Albanese wrote in her message that Israel is committing 'genocide against Palestinians' 'neighborhood by neighborhood, school by school, and camp by camp.' Reuters reported the death toll from this attack to be around 100, while AFP reported 93 deaths. Hamas claims that 11 children and six women are among the casualties at the 'Tabe'in' school. None of these figures reported by Hamas officials can be independently verified. Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, and Iran have separately condemned the deadly Israeli attack on the 'Tabe'in' school. A spokesperson for Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, also called for an end to U.S. support for Israel to stop the 'massacre of thousands of innocent civilians.' A spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry also urged Israel to refrain from attacking civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli army official stated that the figures reported by Hamas's media office regarding casualties from this attack do not match the 'information' available to the Israeli army, but no evidence was provided in this regard. Shortly after, the Israeli army announced that 19 Hamas militants were killed in the airstrike on the 'Tabe'in' school in Gaza City on Saturday. Qatar, which is a mediator for peace between Israel and Hamas, called for immediate investigations by international inspectors to assess the veracity of the Israeli army's claims. On July 20, Israel also attacked a school in Khan Younis, central Gaza, which reportedly killed 29 people and injured dozens. Prior to this, attacks on at least three other schools had been reported. Israel stated that in all these attacks, it targeted militants hiding in schools. On the other hand, health officials in Gaza reported that on Saturday, in a separate attack by Israel, three Palestinians were killed in Rafah, near the Gaza-Egypt border. The Israeli army also announced that the head of public security for Hamas's military branch, identified as 'Walid al-Sousi,' was killed in central Gaza. Hamas has not commented on this report. This attack occurred while on Friday, leaders from the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt issued a joint statement announcing the readiness of a ceasefire agreement and called for the immediate resumption of negotiations regarding the details of the agreement, urging both parties to finalize the agreement and begin its implementation swiftly. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the country would send its representatives to negotiate a ceasefire.