IDF strikes Hamas terror sites amid expanded Gaza ops

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday attacked a Hamas command-and-control center in the area of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, where numerous terrorists were planning to carry out attacks, according to the military.

Steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance.

Hours earlier, the IDF attacked a Hamas command center in Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City. The compound was used to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and troops, said the army. Ahead of the operation, the IDF issued warnings in the area to prevent collateral damage.

“The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law while using civilian infrastructure, brutally exploiting the civilian population as a human shield for its terrorist activities,” the army said.

“The IDF has repeatedly stated that military activity within medical facilities in Gaza must cease,” it added.

On Saturday night, as the Jewish people ushered in Passover, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a rocket fired by terrorists in Gaza. No injuries were reported.

The previous day, IDF troops began operating in the area of Daraj Tuffah in Gaza City, in a move to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and expand the security zone. Before and during the activity, Palestinians were permitted to evacuate the area via organized routes.

On Friday, Palestinian terrorists in southern Gaza opened fire toward IDF troops, who responded by killing two operatives. Shortly afterward, the IDF struck an additional terrorist from the cell.

An IDF officer was moderately wounded in the exchange.

Earlier on Friday, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired three rockets into Israeli territory. The IAF downed the projectiles, which caused no injuries.

The development came as the IDF’s 36th Division completed the establishment of the Morag Corridor, separating Hamas’s Rafah and Khan Yunis Brigades.

During the past 10 days, Israeli soldiers killed dozens of terrorists, destroyed underground tunnel routes, and completed the encirclement of Rafah in southernmost Gaza.

“The IDF will continue to establish operational control over the central route and carry out counter-terrorism operations in the area,” said the military.