Attack on Hamas Command Centers Near Two Schools; Israel: Action Taken to Minimize Civilian Harm

The Israeli army announced on Thursday, August 9, that it had carried out an airstrike on Hamas command centers located within the grounds of two schools in Gaza, which were being used to launch attacks against Israeli forces. In its statement, the Israeli army emphasized that prior to the attack, multiple measures were taken to reduce civilian harm, including the use of 'precision munitions' and enhanced surveillance and intelligence operations. The Israeli army stated, 'The school premises were used by terrorists and Hamas commanders as command and control centers, from where they planned and executed attacks against Israeli forces and the state of Israel.' These two schools are located in the neighborhoods of 'Draj' and 'Tuffah' in Gaza. An organization called 'Palestinian Civil Defense' reported that 12 people were killed in the Israeli attacks on the two schools in eastern Gaza, but did not clarify how many of the casualties were members of the Hamas militant group. Typically, the Gaza Health Ministry or organizations controlled by Hamas do not mention the number of militants killed when reporting casualty figures following Israeli operations. The Israeli army, in its statement, emphasized that 'schools are for education,' not to be used as 'terrorist centers,' stating, 'Hamas systematically violates international laws and exploits civilian structures and populations as human shields for its terrorist attacks against the state of Israel.' The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 6 of last year when militants from the group, supported by the Islamic Republic, attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostage. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields. Israel, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. Palestinian Islamic Jihad's rocket fire; Israel urged residents of northern Gaza to evacuate the area. Antony Blinken: Ceasefire in Gaza has reached its final stage, tensions with the Islamic Republic remain the only threat. Yahya Sinwar succeeded Ismail Haniyeh.