IDF Uncovers Hamas Operations in UNRWA Headquarters Amid Ongoing Gaza Conflict

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday that its troops have uncovered a "Hamas combat compound" and "war room" inside the Gaza headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). According to the IDF, soldiers from the Commando Brigade found weapons caches, including rockets, machine guns, and explosive devices, as well as a room allegedly used to observe Israeli troop movements. The UNRWA facility had not been in use for several months, and Israel has previously accused the agency of ties to Hamas.

In ongoing military operations, the IDF reported killing Ayman Shweidah, the deputy commander of Hamas's Shejaiya Battalion, and Ubadah Abu Hain, a company commander, in a recent airstrike on Gaza City. The army described both as seasoned commanders involved in planning and executing attacks against Israeli forces. Simultaneously, the 99th Division has been conducting raids in western and southern neighborhoods of Gaza City, while the 98th Division concluded a two-week operation in Shejaiya, claiming to have killed over 150 terror operatives and demolished eight tunnels.

Meanwhile, rocket fire from northern Gaza triggered sirens in southern Israel, with the IDF responding through airstrikes on terror group sites. Palestinian media reported casualties from Israeli strikes in central and southern Gaza, including claims of aid workers killed in Khan Younis. The Hamas-run Gaza civil defense agency stated that 85% of Shejaiya's buildings were destroyed in the latest operation, with reports of numerous bodies recovered from the rubble.

As military actions continue, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called for an "objective state commission of inquiry" to investigate the conditions that led to Hamas's power build-up and the October 7 attack. This comes as the IDF released a report on its failed response to the massacre at Kibbutz Be'eri. Internationally, UN delegates offered support for UNRWA ahead of a pledging conference, emphasizing the agency's crucial role in providing aid to Palestinian refugees.