The IDF and ISA on Saturday struck terrorists operating in a Hamas command and control center, which was embedded inside a mosque in the Al-Taba’een school compound.

The command and control center served as a hideout for Hamas terrorists and commanders, from which various attacks were planned and advanced against IDF troops and the State of Israel.

Following an intelligence investigation, it can be confirmed at this time that at least 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were eliminated. These terrorists operated in order to advance and carry out attacks against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel from inside the compound.

According to the IDF, the target of the strike was "15-25 terrorists, including senior terrorists who acted at the site to advance the execution of terror attacks. The compound is located within a civilian area where there is a school and a mosque. The only part of the mosque which was hit was the men's level, an area where there were no women and children. It was struck following confirmation by the pre-strike intelligence activities."

The site of the strike
The site of the strikeIDF spokesman

The strike was carried out using three precise munitions, which, according to professional analysis, can not cause the amount of damage that is being reported by the Hamas-run Government Information Office in Gaza. Furthermore, no severe damage was caused to the compound where the terrorists were situated.

Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of a small warhead, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information.

Following the strike, the IDF stressed, "The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law and operates from within civilian infrastructure and shelters, brutally exploiting the civilian population and institutions as human shields for their terror activities."

In Gaza, reports claim that over 100 people were killed in the strikes.

The IDF is continuing to investigate the reports of a higher number of casualties, to verify if there is truth to them. However, the IDF noted that "Hamas has been caught a number of times lying with regards to everything connected to IDF strikes and its own strikes. Every IDF strike carried out against terrorists is exaggerated by Hamas with no regard for reality. Hamas continues to lie to the world."

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, claiming that "the intentional killing of Palestinians in a Gaza school shows that Israel is not interested in ending the war in Gaza."

The 19 terrorists eliminated in the strike
The 19 terrorists eliminated in the strikeIDF spokesman