Ayatollah Al-Sistani condemns Israeli airstrike on Gaza school, warns of regional escalation
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemned the recent Israeli airstrike on "Al-Tabe'een" school in Gaza, which resulted in numerous casualties among displaced individuals, warning of heightened risks of "major confrontations" in the region due to Israel's breaches of sovereignty in neighboring countries.
A statement from Al-Sistani's office in Najaf described the attack as a "major massacre," emphasizing the heavy toll on innocent civilians, including those displaced and seeking refuge at the school. The statement criticized Israel's ongoing actions, which have continued for over ten months, and highlighted recent targeted assassinations of key resistance figures, including a mention of the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, suggesting that such acts increase the danger of catastrophic conflicts across the region.
The statement expressed frustration at the inadequacy of words to condemn these "heinous crimes," which it described as actions committed by entities “devoid of humanitarian values.” It also lamented the “lack of international legal accountability for these crimes, attributed to the support from some major world powers.”
Al-Sistani's office reiterated calls for global opposition to what it described as "barbaric behavior" and urged for the prevention of further harm to the Palestinian people. The statement also appealed specifically to the Islamic world to unite in efforts to halt the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to provide additional support to its residents.
The Palestinian news agency reported over 100 Palestinian deaths and dozens of injuries following the Israeli airstrike on "Al-Tabe'een" school in Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City early Saturday.
In response, the Israeli military stated that the airstrike was conducted based on intelligence from the Israeli Defense Forces and Shin Bet, targeting Hamas operatives within a command and control center located at the school, which it claimed also served as a shelter for Gaza City residents.
