Hamas on Saturday night claimed that 80 people were killed in an Israeli strike in the city of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip.
The organization further claimed that dozens were wounded and missing in the Israeli strike.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit responded to the claims and said the numbers published by Hamas were exaggerated, noting that the terrorist organization regularly inflates the number of dead and injured in strikes in Gaza.
“Following an initial IDF examination, the numbers published by the Office of Hamas-run Government Information Office in Gaza - are exaggerated and do not align with the information held by the IDF, the precise munitions used, and the accuracy of the strike on a Hamas terror target,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit’s statement.
“The IDF continues to examine and calls on the media to act with caution about information released by Hamas sources, as they have been proven to be sorely unreliable in previous incidents,” it added.
“We emphasize that the area in question is an active war zone. The IDF is precisely operating and is doing everything possible to avoid causing harm to civilians,” stated the IDF.
Hamas regularly and deliberately uses the civilian and humanitarian infrastructure in Gaza in order to plan and carry out attacks against Israel.
The IDF takes steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence, when striking targets in Gaza.