The Israel Defense Forces says troops fighting in Gaza have recovered documents detailing the use by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad of mosques for terror purposes.
According to a military statement, dozens of mosques across the Gaza Strip have arms dumps and tunnel entrances, and also serve as “operational gathering points”.
This image released by the Israel Defense Forces on February 2, 2024, shows what the military says was a tunnel entrance near a mosque in the northern Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF adds that documents recently found in Khan Younis show the extent of Hamas’s influence on religious leaders in Gaza and “infiltration into local religious leadership positions with the intent of promoting hate speech, instigating violence and encouraging civilians to join terrorist groups.”
“The exploitation of religious leaders and mosques by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip for promoting terrorism, storing explosives and carrying out attacks represents the grave misuse of religious institutions for military operations, effectively turning worshippers into human shields,” the statement charges.
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