In the past, Israel’s moral debate about its military actions may have been narrow and hypocritical, but at least it existed. Not this time.
By Meron Rapoport, +972 Magazine
At 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 10, the IDF Spokesperson sent a message to reporters informing them of an Israeli airstrike on a “military headquarters located in Al-Taba’een school compound near a mosque in the Daraj [and] Tuffah area, which serves as a shelter for residents of Gaza City.”
“The headquarters,” the Spokesperson continued, “was used by terrorists of the Hamas terrorist organization for hiding, and from there they planned and promoted terrorist attacks against IDF forces and citizens of the State of Israel. Prior to the attack, many steps were taken to reduce the chances of harming civilians, including the use of precision munitions, visual equipment, and intelligence information.”

Shortly after this announcement, shocking images from Al-Taba’een school circulated around the world, showing piles of dismembered flesh and body parts being removed in plastic bags. The images were accompanied by reports that around 100 Palestinians had been killed in the Israeli attack, with many more hospitalized. Most of those killed were in the middle of fajr, or dawn prayers, at a designated space inside the school compound.
In the hours and days that followed, as expected, a war of narratives developed over the number of civilian fatalities. The IDF Spokesperson published the photos and names of 19 Palestinians who it claimed were Hamas or Islamic Jihad “operatives” killed in the attack; many were given the label without specifying their alleged position or rank.
Recent Posts
Pentagon Official: Trump Boat Strike Was A Criminal Attack On Civilians
September 9, 2025
Take Action Now A current DoD official and many military legal experts say the U.S. attack on a boat in the Caribbean near Venezuela broke…
The Department Of War
September 8, 2025
Take Action Now If Congress had to pass National War Authorization and Appropriations Acts instead of so-called National “Defense” Acts,…
Washington, DC, Residents Protest Against Trump
September 7, 2025
Take Action Now Several thousand protesters march to oppose Trump’s troop deployment, Justice Department data shows violent crime at 30-year…
‘Shameful Assault on Human Rights’: Trump Sanctions Palestinian Orgs That Called for UN to Investigate Israeli War Crimes
September 6, 2025
Take Action Now The former executive director of Human Rights Watch said Trump’s “answer to Israeli atrocities is to censor reporting on…