Israel Says Bombed School was a Hamas Cover

by KYW's Mideast Bureau chief Jay Bushinsky

The Israeli army is "investigating the circumstances" in which a school run by the UN Refugee Agency in the Gaza Strip came under fire, as a result of which 42 Palestinian children reportedly were killed (see related story).  This means that the military command here is not accepting responsibility, at least at this stage. 
 
Several possibilities were raised by military experts -- one, that the school was laced with explosive charges, as was another school elsewhere in Gaza.  Another possibility is that the school was hit by fire opened up by Hamas gunmen, and another that it was hit unintentionally by Israeli aircraft.

Israel's chief military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu, said that most of the casualties were young men, not schoolchildren.  He said they used the school compound as a firing platform for their mortars, and this is what drew the Israeli fire. 

Gen. Benayahu did not deny that there were some schoolchildren among the casualties, but said that Hamas gunmen have been seen frequently entering combat zones in Gaza with small children in tow. 

The Israeli military command says the school was used as a refuge for Gaza Strip families. The children who were among the dead and wounded were members of those families, not pupils who attended the school. 

And Israeli military sources says that similar situations have occurred in previous clashes with Hamas: humanitarian institutions and facilities serving as cover for attacks.  They said many of the individuals inside this particular school were armed Hamas personnel wearing civilian clothes.