WATCH: IDF provides proof of Hamas rockets launched near schools, mosque

The Israeli military said these attacks are strategically launched near vulnerable public areas, including schools, kindergartens, and mosques.

Video illustrating Hamas rocket launchers near civilian sites. Video released October 22, 2023 (CREDIT: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT).

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit unveiled aerial images on Sunday captured during the Swords of Iron war, providing evidence of Hamas's strategy of initiating rocket attacks in close proximity to civilian locales from within the Gaza Strip.

According to the IDF Spokesperson, these attacks are strategically launched near vulnerable public areas, including schools, kindergartens, and mosques, indicating a deliberate exploitation of these non-combatant populations. 

An aerial view of an area containing a Hamas rocket launch site, in the vicinity of schools, in a location given as Gaza in this handout image released October 22, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
An aerial view of an area containing a Hamas rocket launch site, in the vicinity of schools, in a location given as Gaza in this handout image released October 22, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The rocket attacks are directed toward Israeli territory, underscoring Hamas's intent to inflict damage and chaos on civilian lives in Israel.

An aerial view of an area containing a Hamas rocket launch site, in the vicinity of schools, in a location given as Gaza in this handout image released October 22, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
An aerial view of an area containing a Hamas rocket launch site, in the vicinity of schools, in a location given as Gaza in this handout image released October 22, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

"Since the beginning of the war, the terrorist organization Hamas has been firing rockets from the Gaza Strip while cynically exploiting the uninvolved population and civilian sites such as kindergartens, schools, and mosques, and launching into the territory of the State of Israel with the clear intention of harming the citizens of the country," the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said in their statement.

An aerial view of an area containing a Hamas rocket launch site, in the vicinity of a mosque, in a location given as Gaza in this handout image released October 22, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
An aerial view of an area containing a Hamas rocket launch site, in the vicinity of a mosque, in a location given as Gaza in this handout image released October 22, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Rocket hits Gaza hospital

More recently, a failed rocket launch from within the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad fell and damaged a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday.

The army spokesperson gave a press conference declaring that "an analysis of IDF operational systems indicates a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the hospital at the time it was hit. Intelligence from a few sources that we have in our hands indicates that the Islamic Jihad is responsible."