Israeli Airstrike Kills 19 Terrorists in Gaza City School Compound
An Israeli airstrike killed 19 terrorists in a Hamas command center inside a mosque located in a Gaza City school compound, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday night. The terrorists were affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The IDF released an infographic identifying each of the 19 killed and their affiliations. The IDF stated, “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 emphasized that the strike was carried out using three precise munitions, which, according to professional analysis, cannot cause the amount of damage reported by the Hamas-run Government Information Office in Gaza. The IDF also noted that no severe damage was caused to the compound where the terrorists were situated.
“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,” the IDF added.
Hamas claimed 90 people were killed, a figure which has not been independently verified. Gaza’s Hamas-run government has a history of inflating casualty figures. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have used schools on numerous occasions as command centers, hideouts, observation and sniping points, tunnel entrances, and weapons storage.
Israel struck two Gaza City schools on Thursday used by Hamas for carrying out attacks. At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 111 remaining hostages, 39 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.
Doubts Revealed
Israeli Airstrike -: An airstrike is when military planes drop bombs on a target. In this case, it was done by Israel, a country in the Middle East.
Terrorists -: Terrorists are people who use violence to create fear and achieve their goals. They often target civilians.
Gaza City -: Gaza City is a city in the Gaza Strip, a small area of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Israel and Egypt.
Hamas -: Hamas is a group that controls the Gaza Strip. They are considered a terrorist organization by many countries.
Command Center -: A command center is a place where leaders of a group plan and control their activities.
Mosque -: A mosque is a place where Muslims go to pray.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) -: The IDF is the military force of Israel. They protect the country and carry out operations like airstrikes.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad -: This is another group in the Gaza Strip that uses violence to fight against Israel.
Civilian -: A civilian is a person who is not part of the military or any armed group.
Human Shields -: Using human shields means putting civilians in harm’s way to protect military targets, which is against international law.
