IDF troops battle Hamas operatives, discover weapons at Gaza City schools

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Weapons recovered by troops in a school in Gaza City, December 25, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
Weapons recovered by troops in a school in Gaza City, December 25, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

Troops of the Nahal Brigade raided two schools in Gaza City’s Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods, following intelligence of Hamas operatives hiding at the complexes, the IDF says.

Hamas’s Daraj-Tuffah battalion is believed by the IDF to be the last standing battalion in northern Gaza.

The IDF says during the raid, troops encountered and killed several Hamas gunmen. Dozens of explosive devices, assault rifles, and 15 explosive belts were found in the complexes.

In one incident, a Hamas operative fired a missile from one of the schools at the troops. Tanks shelled the building in response, killing the operative, the IDF says.

The IDF says troops also captured “many” Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives hiding in the schools, and brought them to Israel for further interrogation. Some participated in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel, according to the IDF.

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