The IDF Spokesperson reported that Air Force fighter jets recently conducted a targeted strike, guided by intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN), the Shin Bet, and Division 252, on militants operating in Hamas command and control centers housed in a building that was previously a mosque, “Al-Farouq,” and its surroundings in the Al-Bureij area of the Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, “The command and control center was used by Hamas militants to plan and execute terrorist activities against the IDF and the State of Israel. Before the attack, several measures were taken to minimize the likelihood of civilian casualties, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence. Hamas systematically violates international law, cruelly exploiting civilian institutions and populations as human shields for terrorist activities. The IDF will continue to act with strength and determination against terrorist organizations that use civilian institutions as cover.”
After the Khan Yunis Strike Last Night: Hamas Lied About the Death Toll – Then Retracted
Condemnations were published globally after Hamas falsely claimed that over 100 civilians were killed in the IDF strikes, and that large craters were formed at the site. Meanwhile, Egypt issued a harsh condemnation of the targeted killings.
The IDF refuted the figures released by Gaza’s health ministry, which is effectively a branch of Hamas, stating that the death toll was 20, due to the terrorists’ exploitation of the civilian population. Furthermore, the IDF clarified that, contrary to Hamas’s lies, senior militants who were targets of the assassination were hiding among the civilians.
The IDF Spokesperson announced this morning: “During the night, the IDF carried out a targeted strike based on intelligence against several senior Hamas terrorists operating from a command and control center disguised in a humanitarian area in Khan Yunis. Among the targeted were the terrorist Samer Ismail Khader Abu-Daka, head of Hamas’s air force in Gaza, as well as Asama Tabesh, head of observation and targeting in Hamas’s military intelligence, and Ayman Mabhouh, another senior Hamas operative. These militants were directly involved in the October 7 massacre and had been plotting terrorist operations against IDF forces and the State of Israel in recent times.
“Prior to the strike, extended intelligence gathering was conducted, along with continuous aerial surveillance in the hours leading up to the strike, confirming their presence in the area along with other militants. Generally, and according to a preliminary investigation, the numbers reported by Gaza’s health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas and has been caught lying several times, do not align with the IDF’s intelligence, the precision of the munitions used, or the accuracy of the strike.
“Despite the many measures the IDF takes to allow Gaza residents to distance themselves from conflict zones, including defining humanitarian areas, Hamas continues to embed its operatives and military infrastructure in these areas, using civilians as human shields in a systematic manner.”
After the IDF’s statement, the Gaza health ministry, under Hamas control, admitted that approximately 19 people were killed in the strike—less than half of the original report. It is now hoped that the accurate information, which even Hamas agrees with, will reach those international media outlets that initially amplified the false data.
