IDF strikes Hamas intelligence compound in Gaza as Israel defends targets

IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman deflects criticism of the bombing of media office building in the Gaza Strip.

By ANNA AHRONHEIM, TOVAH LAZAROFF

MAY 17, 2021 01:45

In the early hours of Monday morning, the IDF carried out a joint operation between its cyber, intelligence and air force units to strike a Hamas intelligence compound in Gaza, a military spokesperson said.

The airstrike on the Hamas target came as rocket sirens continued to blare throughout the night in Ashkelon and Beersheba, with two separate barrages being aimed at each city.

IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman deflected criticism of the military’s actions in the Gaza Strip on Sunday and particularly the bombing of a building with media offices on Saturday.

“I want to see what would happen if one rocket was fired on Washington. They are firing salvos toward civilian populations,” Zilberman said when asked about the strike on the building that was home to the Associated Press and Al Jazeera offices in Gaza. “We are in the middle of an operation. If Hamas and PIJ think they can hide behind the media, their buildings are not something they can hide behind.”

The IDF said the building held the offices of Hamas’s military intelligence as well as other offices belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The IDF has refused requests to reveal the evidence upon which it determined that Hamas was using the office building for terrorist activity.

Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/idf-launches-massive-strike-against-gaza-bombs-hamas-chiefs-home-668286.