The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) conducted a joint operation on Monday, striking five Hamas weapon storage facilities and a Hamas launch site across the Gaza Strip. The military stated that these sites were used to store rockets, weapons, explosive devices, grenades, ammunition, and other military equipment intended for use against IDF troops.
According to the IDF, these facilities were located inside mosques and adjacent to humanitarian infrastructure. "This is another example of Hamas’s systematic exploitation of the civilian population and infrastructure, including mosques and humanitarian infrastructure, in violation of international law," the military said in a statement. The IDF reported issuing warnings to the civilian population prior to the strikes and implementing additional precautions, such as using precise munitions and aerial surveillance. Security forces in the IDF’s Southern Command are operating in the area in accordance with the Oct. 10, 2025, cease-fire framework and are continuing to address immediate threats.
Earlier on Monday, the IDF announced it had dismantled two Hamas weapons storage facilities within mosques containing dozens of Kalashnikov rifles, magazines, and other military equipment, deeming the storage of weapons at religious sites a violation of international law.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter criticized Hamas for not disarming, referencing the discovery of weapons in mosques. "Hamas is trying to go back to the world of Oct. 6 – when their plans to massacre men, women, and children went unnoticed," Leiter stated on X, referring to the day before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of southern Israel. "Hamas has committed to repeating Oct. 7 at the first opportunity they get; that’s the only thing they don’t lie about. Israel won’t be surprised again at Hamas barbarism."
In a separate incident on Monday, the IDF engaged and opened fire on two Hamas terrorists in central Gaza who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion. The military confirmed that one of the individuals, identified as Nukhba Force terrorist Mohammad Abu Asaad, was killed in the Deir al-Balah area. The IDF stated that the pair had been planning terrorist attacks targeting IDF troops and Israeli civilians and were attempting to revive the organization's armed forces while violating the cease-fire.