The Israel Defense Forces struck a Hamas command room in a school run by a United Nations agency with fighter jets, killing more than 15 “terror operatives,” including 10 Hamas members and some involved in the Oct. 7 invasion of Israel.
The attack took place in central Gaza’s Nuseirat, about 15 miles away from Rafah, where Israeli forces are now moving in despite warnings from President Joe Biden.
“The strike was carefully planned and carried out using precise munitions while avoiding harming civilians as much as possible,” the IDF said.
The IDF and Shin Bet said the command room was used by Hamas to plan attacks against troops operating in central Gaza in recent weeks, according to the Times of Israel.
Israel has previously accused Hamas of exploiting the U.N. for military benefit, claiming the group has used a tunnel system in Gaza that is partially under the headquarters of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Israel also accused UNRWA of having some employees work for Hamas.
The attack is a continuation of an armed conflict involving Israel and Hamas, with Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire, that has persisted since Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion that killed hundreds of civilians.
Later on Tuesday, the IDF released a video showing “terrorists” walking around a UNRWA compound in eastern Rafah and appearing to fire shots at civilians, with several U.N. vehicles scattered around.
“The compound is located in eastern Rafah and is a central point for the distribution of aid on UNRWA’s behalf of Gaza. [Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories] conveyed the findings to senior officials in the international community and called on the U.N to conduct an urgent investigation into the matter,” the IDF wrote on X.
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The exact number of civilian casualties is unknown. The Gaza health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, has estimated over 34,622 Palestinians have died, but the U.N. recently revised its numbers, decreasing them by half, to estimate that around 12,800 Palestinian women and children have died.
The Washington Examiner contacted the IDF but did not receive a response.
