Hamas barred evacuation of UNRWA school — IDF

Hamas prevented civilians from evacuating the UNRWA school-turned-shelter where a reported 15-plus people were killed earlier today, according to the IDF Spokesperson. The school was reportedly hit by an errant IDF mortar shell and may have been hit by a Hamas rocket.

The IDF tweets that last night, it told the Red Cross to evacuate civilians from the Beit Hanoun shelter between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and both UNRWA and the Red Cross got the message.

The military says that this morning, Hamas fired at IDF troops from a populated area near the shelter, and also prevented the evacuation of civilians from the area.

It adds that earlier today, “several rockets launched from Gaza toward Israel fell short and hit Beit Hanoun.”

The assessment in the IDF is that “apparently” a mortar shell went off course and hit the courtyard, says Channel 2’s Roni Daniel. At the same time, a Hamas rocket may also have hit the courtyard. Hamas was targeting IDF troops in the area, he adds.