IDF website shows Hamas use of civilian sites for terror in Gaza

Hamas has spent years building up and fortifying its strongholds via this urban warfare tactic, according to the military.

By JNS

The Israel Defense Forces on Monday published a new website that demonstrates the extent to which Hamas was embedded within the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.

No civilian infrastructure was off limits for the terrorist group, the IDF said, as rocket launchers and operational headquarters were found within schools, mosques, children’s bedrooms and hospitals over the course of the war.

“In every city, local civilian infrastructure was corrupted by Hamas operatives, both above and below ground,” the Israeli military said.

The following is a list of terrorist activities uncovered in each type of civilian infrastructure.

Mosques. Hamas hid tunnels and weapons and ran command centers from mosques throughout the Strip.

Humanitarian zones. Hamas exploited these areas, designated for the safety of Palestinian civilians, to hide its terrorists, launch rockets at Israel and carry out attacks against IDF
troops.

Schools. Hamas used schools to hide weapons, operate headquarters and hide some of its senior members.

Hospitals. These were a major source for carrying out Hamas’s terrorist operations, whether via underground tunnels and command centers.

Hospitals were moreover used as weapons storage facilities and a safe haven for terrorists.

Private homes. Palestinian residences were booby-trapped, used as weapons sites and as cover for tunnel shafts.

Hamas has spent years building up and fortifying its strongholds via this urban warfare tactic, according to the military.

“The IDF had to operate in these areas and, throughout the war, kept uncovering even more shocking examples of Hamas’s blatant abuse of its civilians to facilitate its terror goals,” it added.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Oct. 10, potentially bringing an end to the two-year war that began with the Palestinian terror assault on the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023.

The second phase of the ceasefire—delayed by Hamas’s failure to return the bodies of fallen hostages—is expected to focus on disarming terrorist groups in Gaza, under the supervision of the United States and other international partners.