MOSCOW, July 6 The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported , that on Saturday the country's air force carried out strikes on radicals operating in buildings located next to a school of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the central part of the Gaza Strip.
«Earlier today, based on intelligence from the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), the Israeli Air Force struck several terrorists operating in buildings located in the area of the UNRWA Al-Jauni School in the central Gaza Strip,» — the army said in a message on its Telegram channel.
The IDF claims that the site was a hideout and operational headquarters from where «attacks against IDF troops were directed and carried out.»
The Army added that before the strike, «numerous steps were taken to reduce the risk of harm to civilians, including the use of precise aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.»
The IDF noted that the Palestinian Hamas movement allegedly «systematically violates international law by using civilian structures and the population as human shields for terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.»
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. After this, fighters from the Palestinian Hamas movement entered the border areas, opened fire on military and civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. According to authorities, about 1.2 thousand people died.
The Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip, which includes attacks on civilian targets. Israel announced a complete blockade of the enclave: supplies of water, electricity, fuel, food and medicine were stopped. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the death toll in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has exceeded 37.5 thousand, and more than 85 thousand people have been injured. The Gaza Strip has effectively been divided into southern and northern parts, and Israel is preparing for a ground operation in Rafah, which is considered the last stronghold of Hamas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to Moscow's position, a settlement is possible only on the basis of a formula approved by the UN Security Council with the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.