  |
Hamas has been repeatedly accused of using civilian infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, and residential buildings, to conduct military operations against Israel. This tactic involves launching rockets and storing weapons in civilian areas, making it difficult for the Israeli military to target Hamas without risking civilian casualties. For example, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported discovering Hamas military infrastructure in Gaza's Al-Shati refugee camp, where residential buildings were used for rocket launches and weapons storage. This increases the danger to civilians during military responses by Israel.
Furthermore, reports from 2014 suggest that rockets were fired from areas near Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, which some international observers claim to have seen firsthand. Although Hamas denies these allegations, both the IDF and some international sources maintain that Hamas embeds itself in civilian facilities to deter attacks.
This use of civilian facilities is seen as a tactic by weaker military forces to exploit the stronger adversary’s reluctance to attack civilian areas, effectively raising the cost of military operations for Israel in terms of international reputation and civilian casualties.
5
