Israeli Airstrike on Another School in Gaza; Qatar Calls for International Investigation

Following a deadly airstrike by Israel on another school that was sheltering Palestinian refugees, Qatar has called for an international investigation into the incident, and the UN Special Rapporteur accused Israel of 'genocide.' The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it targeted a 'Hamas command post' located in a school in Gaza City. Meanwhile, Palestinian officials stated that this school was a shelter for refugees, and the attack resulted in nearly one hundred casualties. The airstrike on the 'Tabi'in' school in the 'Darg' neighborhood of Gaza City occurred early Saturday morning, August 20, resulting in 93 deaths according to the latest statistics. The Israeli army stated in a statement that members of the extremist group Hamas were hiding in this school and were directing operations against Israeli citizens and forces from there. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. In response to this event, Qatar, which is one of the mediators for peace between Israel and Hamas, called for immediate investigations by international inspectors to assess the validity of the Israeli army's claims. Simultaneously, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian territories accused Israel of 'genocide' on the social media platform X. Francesca Albanese wrote in her message that Israel is committing 'genocide against Palestinians' 'neighborhood by neighborhood, school by school, and camp by camp.' Ms. Albanese concluded her message by stating, 'I wish Palestinians could forgive our collective failure to protect them.' Reuters reported on Saturday, citing Palestinian media, that this attack occurred 'during the morning prayer.' AFP also quoted a Palestinian official stating that the death toll ranged between 90 and 100, with half of those sheltering in the school being women and children. The airstrike left dozens injured as well. The spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense Agency, an entity under Hamas control, told AFP that this school was a 'shelter for Palestinian refugees' and that three missiles struck it. The Israeli army emphasized in its statement that prior to this attack, it had taken multiple measures to reduce the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and data collection. The Israeli army also reiterated its accusation against the extremist group Hamas for 'systematically violating international laws' and using civilians as human shields. The attack by Hamas members on Israeli territory last October, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and dozens of hostages, marked the beginning of Israel's response, which has since claimed nearly 40,000 lives in the Gaza Strip, with no end in sight.