The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday released intelligence indicating that Hamas continues to conduct terrorist operations from within and around civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including hospitals, schools and other public facilities.
According to the IDF, the intelligence underscores the “cynical exploitation” by Hamas of civilian environments to carry out attacks, using non-combatants as human shields and putting civilian lives at risk.
Amid the ongoing operation in Gaza, the IDF on Wednesday issued a warning to residents in the southern Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, an area it said contains terrorist strongholds embedded within the civilian population.
“The IDF will continue to act against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to protect the citizens of the State of Israel and is prepared to expand the scope of operations as necessary,” the military said.
The development comes as Israeli forces continue to target Hamas infrastructure while navigating the challenge of minimizing harm to civilians in densely populated urban areas.
On Tuesday, the IDF carried out a precision airstrike on a Hamas command center located beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
The target of the strike was Mohammed Sinwar, a senior Hamas commander and brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former leader of the organization in Gaza, who was killed by Israel earlier in the conflict. Following his brother’s death, Mohammed Sinwar served as the group’s top military leader in Gaza, according to Israeli defense sources.
Multiple Israeli Air Force fighter jets were involved in the strike, which employed bunker-busting munitions to penetrate the subterranean complex. Officials said the site housed dozens of high-ranking Hamas operatives and was being used to coordinate attacks.
No official confirmation has been given regarding Sinwar’s status in the aftermath of the strike.
The IDF overnight Monday carried out a precision strike targeting Hamas terrorists inside the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.
The hospital compound was being used as a command-and-control center for planning and executing attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel, according to the military.
The IDF identified the site as a hub for senior Hamas officials, including the successor of Ismail Barhoum, the former head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip and of Hamas’s finances and institutions. Barhoum was killed in a separate Israeli strike in March.