On Saturday night, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that an airstrike targeted a Hamas command centre inside a mosque within a Gaza City school compound, resulting in the deaths of 19 militants. The IDF clarified that these militants were affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The military also countered unverified claims of significant collateral damage from the strike and released an infographic detailing the identities and affiliations of those killed.
“The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law and operates from within civilian infrastructure and shelters, brutally exploiting the civilian population and institutions as human shields for their terror activities,” the IDF said.
“The strike was carried out using three precise munitions, which, according to professional analysis, cannot cause the amount of damage that is being reported by the Hamas-run Government Information Office in Gaza. Furthermore, no severe damage was caused to the compound where the terrorists were situated,” the army said.
“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of a small warhead, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information.”
Hamas reported that 90 people were killed in the airstrike, though this number has not been independently confirmed. The Hamas-run government in Gaza has previously been known to exaggerate casualty figures. Both Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have frequently used schools in Gaza for various military purposes, including as command centres, hideouts, observation points, tunnel entrances, and weapons storage. Israel had also targeted two schools in Gaza City on Thursday that were being used by Hamas for attacks.
On October 7, Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border resulted in at least 1,200 deaths and 252 Israelis and foreigners being taken hostage. Of the remaining 111 hostages, 39 have been confirmed dead. Additionally, Hamas has been holding two Israeli civilians captive since 2014 and 2015, along with the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.
