Israeli list of operatives killed in Gaza school strike 'fabricated', relatives claim

Few say their family members died days before the attack on Al Tabaeen

Palestinians gather after an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza city, August 10. Reuters

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Youssef Al Wadiya's picture and name featured on a list of 31 people Israel said were Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters killed in a strike on Al Tabeen school in northern Gaza.

However, relatives of Mr Al Wadiya and other Palestinians named as militants killed in the attack on Saturday have said that the “Israeli claims are false” and that they were not part of any militant group. Many affirmed that their family members had no relation to any group, or were killed in other areas and attacks across the enclave.

Mr Wadiya's family told The National that he was killed two days earlier in a similar attack on a different school.

Mohammed Al Wadiya, the cousin of Youssef, said that Israel's claim was false and that he was killed “two days earlier in an Israeli bombardment that targeted Yaffa School in the Al Tuffah neighbourhood, along with several displaced persons”.

He added that the Israeli army “deliberately lies and fabricates stories in an attempt to justify its crimes, but its foolishness always exposes it, and the facts and evidence contradict it”.

Images of Youssef were shared on social media platforms after his death and in family group chats. “Youssef was at the Yaffa school after Israel destroyed his family’s home, leading to his displacement to the south along with his brother,” Mohammed said.

People were performing prayers on the ground floor of Al Tabaeen school when it was struck on Saturday morning, while the first floor housed displaced women, Gaza's government media office said.

A video from the school, housing about 2,400 Palestinians, showed women crying over the shrouds of children. Another recording showed the moment the Israeli strike hit the school, engulfing it in flames.

The strike drew widespread international condemnation and the UN Security Council is set to meet to discuss the attack. Algeria called an emergency meeting after the strike. It said the request was supported by other council members.

Israel's military disputed the death toll, saying that the accounts from Palestinian officials were “exaggerated and do not coincide with the information available”. It added that there have been “a confirmed 31 terrorists eliminated in the strike on the Hamas stronghold in Al Tabaeen school, where the terrorists planned to execute attacks against Israel”.

Muntaser Thaheer, a civil engineer, was also named by Israel as one of the militants killed. His family said he was killed in an Israeli missile strike on August 9, at his brother’s home in northern Gaza city. Israeli forces listed him as Munther Nasser Daher, an “Islamic Jihad operative”. However, when his family saw his photo, they recognised him immediately.

“Muntaser was on a family visit at the time and was not killed in Al Tabaeen massacre,” his cousin, Mohamoud Thaheer, told The National.

“The occupation’s claims are false and baseless, and these fabrications and lies should never be considered credible information; they are merely lies that the Israeli forces are trying to spread.”

Ramy Abdu, the chairman of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor also disputed Israel's claims.

“Out of over 100 civilians that Israel coldbloodedly killed, they singled out 19 and falsely claimed they were Hamas members,” he said on X. Four of those killed were from the Jaabari family, he said, “whom I personally know have never engaged in any political or military activities”.

“Another was an imam, one was my neighbour from the Habib family who had a serious dispute with Hamas and a university professor from the Kahlout family who never participated in any political work.”

Most of Gaza's population has been displaced at least once since Israel launched its military offensive in the enclave. The army has issued repeated evacuation orders for different parts of the enclave since then, often giving only several minutes' warning before opening fire. Schools, where many displaced civilians have sought shelter, have increasingly come under attack in recent weeks, with Israel accusing militants of using them as bases.

Israel has struck six schools in a week in Gaza city, according to the Gaza civil defence and targeted 13 shelters so far this month. The air strike on Al Tabaeen school was one of the deadliest of the Israel-Gaza war and came days before the expected resumption of talks to end the conflict. More than 39,900 Palestinians have been killed since the war broke out last October after a surprise attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel killed about 1,200.