Soldiers Find Rocket Launching System Next to Khan Yunis School

Jerusalem, 14 March, 2024 (TPS) -- Israeli soldiers uncovered a multiple-launch rocket system adjacent to a Khan Yunis school, authorities disclosed on Thursday.

“This is a clear example of Hamas’ complete disregard towards the people of Gaza, systemically operating from within civilian areas,” the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) posted on X, formerly called Twitter.

COGAT, a unit within Israel’s Defense Ministry, coordinates civilian issues in Judea, Samaria and Gaza between the Israeli government, military, international organizations and the Palestinian Authority.

Forces from the IDF’s elite LOTAR counterterror unit found the used launcher hidden in a shed meters away from a school.

Meanwhile, in the Hamad Towers district of Khan Yunis, troops conducted targeted raids on terror sites, destroying rocket launchers. After identifying two terror operatives in the area, the ground forces troops directed an airstrike eliminating them, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Over the past two weeks, Israeli forces uncovered extensive terror infrastructure including a weapons factory, tunnel shafts, rocket launching positions and command centers among and beneath the Hamad residences. Large numbers of weapons, explosives and military equipment were also seized.

The complex of 40 residential buildings is named after Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who financed the project with hundreds of millions of dollars.

At least 1,200 people were killed and 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the remaining 134 hostages, Israel recently declared 31 of them dead.