Incident at the UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun – 24 July
1. The IDF is examining the possibility that the UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun was hit by a rocket fired by Hamas in the
area. UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness said that in the course of the day Hamas shot rockets that landed inside Beit
Hanoun.
2. According to preliminary reports, fighting was conducted in this area and a Hamas anti-tank cell was operating in the
area of the school.
3. For the past several days, and also last night, the IDF dropped leaflets warning the residents of the area to leave.
They also advised UNRWA and the Red Cross to evacuate the two UNRWA schools in the area. This was due to the fact that
Hamas terrorist shooting was coming from this area.
4. Yesterday (Thursday), between 10 am and 2 pm (10:00-14:00), a humanitarian corridor was established to give an
additional opportunity for residents to evacuate the area. Reports reaching Israel indicate that several dozen people
took advantage of the opportunity to leave, but most of the residents stayed in the area.
5. According to information received by Israel, Hamas militants prevented the people from leaving.
6. Hamas exploits UNRWA buildings in the Gaza Strip. In the last few days alone, stores of Hamas rockets, intended to be
used against Israel, were discovered in two UNRWA schools. UNRWA officially admitted that rockets were found in the
schools, and the UN Secretary-General condemned this, stating that it turns the schools into military targets, thus
endangering the people staying there.
7. Hamas continues to commit war crimes when it conducts fighting from within a civilian environment, from hospitals,
ambulances, schools and mosques, and when it targets Israeli civilians. In contrast, the IDF does everything in its
power to avoid harming civilians and regrets every civilian casualty.
Ends.