Israel Claims Destroy 40 Command Centers Of Hamas Militant Groups In Attack On Gaza Strip

JAKARTA - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claims to have carried out airstrikes and destroyed about 40 operational sites and command centers of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.

Israel is known to have carried out airstrikes on various regions of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, targeting what it calls a militant group target.

The attack was launched by the Israeli Air Force in a joint operation with IDF Southern Command, following intelligence information provided by the Directorate of Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet security agency, the IDF said.

The IDF said dozens of Hamas members had gathered at targeted locations, where they were planning and launching attacks on troops in Gaza and Israel.

Some of the locations targeted were former schools, which also serve as shelters for Palestinian refugees. The IDF says this is another example of Hamas' cynical and systematic use of civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip for terror purposes."

The military added that it was taking steps to reduce the losses of civilians in the attack, including by using "precision ammunition, air surveillance, and other intelligence."

As previously reported, Gaza authorities said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed at least 68 people in the Gaza Strip, including in a refugee camp that also killed the head of the local police.

The attack took place in the Al-Mawasi District which was designated a humanitarian zone for civilians at the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza.

Thursday's death toll was among the highest in recent weeks.

Another Israeli airstrike killed at least 57 Palestinians, including six people at the headquarters of the interior ministry in Khan Younis and others at the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, the Shati (Datai) camp, the Maghazi camp in central Gaza, and Gaza City.

The Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas militants who according to intelligence were operating in the command and control center "located inside the Khan Younis municipality building in the Humanitarian Area".

When asked about the death toll reported on Thursday, an Israeli military spokesman said they were following international law in carrying out the war in Gaza, taking "deserved precautions to reduce civilian losses".