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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck a high-rise building, which they claimed was being used by Hamas in the area of Gaza City.
The IDF further said that it took appropriate steps to mitigate the killing of civilians in the strike. In a post on X, the IDF said, "STRUCK: A high-rise building that was being used by the Hamas terrorist organisation in the area of Gaza City. Hamas terrorists installed intelligence-gathering equipment and positioned observation posts in the building in order to monitor the location of IDF troops in the area. Hamas terrorists also planted numerous explosive devices near the building. Prior to the strike, steps were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians." https://x.com/IDF/status/1964276748733894905 Gaza's Government Media Office rejected the claims and called them "part of a systematic policy of deception used by the occupation to justify the targeting of civilians and infrastructure" and forcibly displace Palestinians from their homes. It said that Israel has destroyed 90 percent of Gaza's infrastructure, as per Al Jazeera. The buildings designated for targeting were near the 12-storey Mushtaha Tower, which on Friday was bombed and razed to the ground. As panic-stricken residents fled Gaza City, UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said that Israel's campaign to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza City was an "enormous threat" for almost one million people, pointing out that half of the population are children. "It's important to remember that every second person in Gaza is a child, and life is becoming almost impossible for them," Ingram told Al Jazeera. Save the Children said that at least one Palestinian child has been killed every hour on average by Israeli forces in Gaza over nearly 23 months of war, describing the statistic as a "horrific new low". At least 20,000 children have been killed since October 2023, according to Gaza government figures, as quoted by Al Jazeera. (ANI)
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