Geolocation
Airwars assessment
During the afternoon of September 15, 2024, the Ghazi al-Shawa School in Beit Hanoun, North of the Gaza Strip, was hit by a declared Israeli airstrike that reportedly left several people injured.
The school was reportedly serving as a shelter for hundreds of families that had been displaced from the area. Journalist @AHM3D_HAMDAN mentioned on Twitter/X that he had been able to distribute money to the residents before the school was destroyed. Israeli forces said the school had been used as a “command and control center” by Hamas.
Multiple sources, including @qudsfeed_brk, reported that “a number of” injuries or “injuries” had resulted from the strike but none provided an exact injury toll.
Facebook user Shahed al-Sham noted that the school was struck four times, though according to another source (Anadolu Agency), three missiles were used. Ashraf salama al-Ghanam posted to Facebook that one of the missiles did not explode.
According to Anadolu Agency and @MhmdOsama312, the Israeli military had contacted families living at the school 15 minutes before the strike, asking them to evacuate.
A video posted by journalist Hossam Shabat (@HossamShabat) reportedly shows the moment the strike hit the school from multiple angles, including one which shows the impact of the strike resulting in a large cloud of smoke and fire while from another angle shows a young man running from the strike and others ducking before the camera is dropped due to the impact.
An image from journalist @AHM3D_HAMDAN is of the destroyed school after the strike, with broken walls and a collapse of the structures holding up the 3rd floor. @Timesofgaza also tweeted images which show one half of the school building completely collapsed.
The IDF released a statement on their official Telegram account that “A short while ago, with the direction of IDF and ISA intelligence, the IAF conducted a precise strike on a Hamas command and control center embedded inside a compound that previously served as the ‘Raazi El Shua’ School in Beit Hanoun. The command and control center was used by Hamas terrorists as an operational hideout, as well as a place to plan and carry out rocket and missile attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel in recent weeks.”
“Beit Hanoun Sons Gathering” posted to Facebook that within minutes of the bombing, people returned to the building and began trying to clean up, distributing blankets and bedding to one another. Posting on September 17th, just a few days after the strike, Shahed Al Sham included an image of a young child standing in the rubble of the school, which had reportedly been bombed four times, along with the statement “We will rebuild it.”
The incident occured in the afternoon.
Geolocation notes (2) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention that the Ghazi Al Shawa School (مدرسة غازي الشوا) was struck in the town of Beit Hanoun (ابيت حانون). Analysing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed the location down to the following exact coordinates: 31.537266, 34.524208.
Summary
Sources (52) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (41) [ collapse]
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Source: @AHM3D_HAMDAN -
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Source: @AHM3D_HAMDAN -
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Source: muhandis hisham muhamad alghif s -
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Source: Al Telfezyoun Al Arabi -
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Source: Shahed Al Sham -
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Source: Tajmua Abna’a beit Hanon -
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Source: @Timesofgaza -
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Source: @WarMonitors -
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Source: @QudsNen -
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Source: @worldwidepeacee -
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Source: @shameensuleman -
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Source: @MhmdOsama312 -
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Source: @intelFromBrian -
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Source: Anadolu Agency News -
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Israeli Military Assessment:
Original strike reports
IDF: A short while ago, with the direction of IDF and ISA intelligence, the IAF conducted a precise strike on a Hamas command and control center embedded inside a compound that previously served as the 'Raazi El Shua' School in Beit Hanoun.
The command and control center was used by Hamas terrorists as an operational hideout, as well as a place to plan and carry out rocket and missile attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel in recent weeks.
Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.
This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization’s systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law. The IDF will continue to operate against the Hamas terrorist organization in defense of the State of Israel.