The IDF confirmed on Sunday evening that it struck a high-rise building that was used by the Hamas terrorist organization in the area of Gaza City.
According to the IDF, Hamas terrorists planted intelligence gathering means and positioned observation posts to monitor the location of IDF troops in the area.
The military added that as part of Hamas' preparations for IDF activity in the area, Hamas terrorists planted many explosives intended to harm IDF troops near the building.
Before the strike, steps were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including advanced warnings to the population, the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.
The IDF stressed: "The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip systematically violate international law, brutally exploiting civilian infrastructure and the Gazan population as human shields for terrorist activities."
Some time before the strike, IDF Arabic Language Spokesman Avichay Adraee issued an urgent announcement to the residents of Gaza City, and specifically those of the Al-Ruaya building.
He noted in his statement that the IDF will strike the building soon due to the presence of Hamas terrorist infrastructure inside or near it.
"For your safety, you are required to evacuate the building immediately southward toward the Mawasi humanitarian zone in Khan Younis," Adraee stated.
This is part of the IDF’s efforts to provide advance warning to civilians located in areas with Hamas military presence and to direct them to a designated humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip.
During the Government meeting earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the IDF is deepening its operations in Gaza City.
“We are destroying terror infrastructure, we are eliminating collapsed terror towers, and we have established another humanitarian corridor to allow Gaza’s civilian population to leave to a place of safety and also receive humanitarian aid. So far, approximately 100,000 people have left Gaza City. Hamas is doing everything to prevent people from leaving so they can serve as human shields. By the way, they spare no means. We recently saw them shooting women and children in the legs, and if necessary, they shoot at them directly. Therefore, it is expected that they will try to prevent the exodus, which is necessary both from a humanitarian perspective and according to our overall war strategy. We want to focus on the terrorists themselves and allow the civilian population to leave safely,” Netanyahu stated.