The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has attacked “senior” members of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, the Israeli military said Tuesday morning.
“Recently… the IAF attacked key Hamas terrorists operating from a command and control center in the humanitarian area in Khan Yunis,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a message on Telegram.
“The terrorists advanced and carried out terrorist attacks against IDF forces and the State of Israel,” the report continued, adding that “numerous measures were taken to limit the risk of harm to civilians.”
“The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip continue to systematically abuse civilian and humanitarian infrastructure, including the designated humanitarian area, to carry out terrorist activities against the State of Israel and IDF forces,” the report said.
Israel has repeatedly justified attacks on such facilities by citing intelligence sources who say Hamas members are hiding there and using civilians as shields.
The information released by the Israeli military could not be independently verified.
According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 40,000 people have been killed and more than 98,000 others wounded in Gaza during 11 months of war. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified at this time.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, which left more than 1,200 dead. The massacre was carried out on October 7 by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups.