The American School in Gaza reopened on Monday despite two attacks on the school over the past week.  In the first attack a rocket-propelled grenade destroyed the building’s art hall, while in the second the school’s windows were smashed, computers and printers were stolen, and buses were set on fire and destroyed.

Two groups, one calling itself the Army of Believers and the second the Warriors of Jerusalem, claimed responsibility for the attacks.  The Army of Believers, a group believed to be linked to international terrorist group Al-Qaeda, said their attack on the school targeted “polytheists and enemies of Islam” who “work to destroy our youths.”  The Warriors of Jerusalem said they attacked the school because it was a “symbol of US presence,” despite the fact that all of the teachers are local Arabs.

School officials said they would not cave in to extremist pressure, and would continue to hold classes.  Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh promised to protect the building.  Officials expressed concern that worried parents might pull their children from the school despite Haniyeh’s armed guards.  The school lost 20 percent of its students in 2007 when senior Fatah officials fled Gaza with their families.