The Israeli army has questioned the casualty figures announced by Hamas following an airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip. The Hamas media office, controlled by the terrorist organization, says at least 73 people were killed and dozens more injured or missing in Israeli strikes Saturday in Beit Lahiya.
In a statement, the IDF said: “The casualty figures claimed by Hamas-controlled media are exaggerated and do not correspond to the information available to the IDF, the precision munitions used and the precision of the strike on a terrorist target belonging to the terrorist group Hamas.”
The Israeli military urges the media to be wary of figures published by Hamas-controlled outlets, “as has also been proven in previous incidents.” The IDF says it is continuing to investigate the incident, stressing that it occurred in an active combat zone and that it is doing everything possible to avoid harm to innocent people.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Hamas media office’s claims appear exaggerated. “A preliminary review suggests that the figures released by the Palestinian terrorist group do not match the information available to the Israeli military,” he said.
The media office of the Hamas-controlled Gaza government says many women and children are among the dead. However, terrorist group figures generally do not distinguish between terrorist operators and civilians.
Medics on the scene report that the airstrikes targeted a multi-story building and damaged several nearby homes.
Swiss
