The IDF said it struck and demolished a structure in the Jabalya area of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that Hamas had allegedly been using as an ambush position and weapons storage site. The military announced the operation on Wednesday, saying the site was used by Hamas terrorists to prepare attacks and maintain weapons capabilities.
According to the IDF, the structure stood roughly 50 meters from the Yellow Line, about 70 meters from Kamal Adwan Hospital, and approximately 170 meters from a school. The military said the location illustrated what it described as Hamas’s continued use of civilian and humanitarian infrastructure for military purposes, which the IDF said violates both the ceasefire agreement and international law.
The structure was destroyed after several terrorists were killed, the military said. According to the IDF, the Hamas operatives had been preparing to attack Israeli troops while also working to restore the organization’s military capabilities from the site.
The IDF said it took measures intended to reduce the potential danger to civilians during the operation. Those measures included the deployment of precision-guided munitions and aerial surveillance to identify and monitor the target.
IDF, Shin Bet Strike Hamas Weapons-Production Commander
The operation follows a recent joint action by the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), which resulted in the death of terrorist Ismail Abu Pul. The military identified Abu Pul as a commander at a Hamas weapons-production facility and said he was involved in manufacturing explosive charges and anti-tank missiles for the organization.
The strike that killed Abu Pul took place in the Al-Maghazi area of Gaza. The IDF said the weapons-production facility was located near an aid distribution site operated by an international organization.
The military described the attack on the production facility as another example of what it characterized as Hamas’s use of civilian infrastructure to facilitate and carry out attacks against IDF forces operating near the Yellow Line as well as against Israeli civilians.