The Israel Defense Forces said on Friday that it captured dozens of Hamas terrorists hiding inside a school in Gaza and raided homes of senior Hamas operatives.
The Palestinian militants had been using a school in the Gazan city of Khan Yunis as a hiding spot before being caught and interrogated by the IDF’s 7th Brigade. "During their interrogation, the terrorists provided intelligence information that went directly to the forces operating in Khan Younis," the IDF said.
"In the heart of the residential neighborhoods," the IDF added, "[our] troops encountered dozens of terrorists and eliminated them with tank shelling, in close-quarters combat, and by directing airstrikes."
The IDF brigade also conducted several raids on senior Hamas officials’ Khan Younis homes, where it found RPG missiles, explosives, ammunition magazines, assault rifles, and other military equipment.
The Israeli operation came amid President Joe Biden’s push for a ceasefire agreement, which on Tuesday he said could be reached in under a week. House majority whip Tom Emmer (R., Minn.), however, told the Washington Free Beacon that Biden’s call for a ceasefire is "a total betrayal of our ally, Israel, and a gift to Hamas terrorists," adding that "House Republicans’ support for Israel and their right to defend themselves remains undeterred."