IDF finds rocket launchers near Gaza playground, pool

Tel Aviv, Nov 5 (IANS) Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday said that they have found Hamas rocket launchers in close proximity of a swimming pool and a playground, media reports said.

The IDF shared footage of troops locating the rocket-launching positions, amid efforts to uncover and destroy Hamas infrastructure, Times of Israel reported.

Troops of the 551st Brigade found four underground launchers some five meters (16 feet) from a children’s swimming pool, and around 30 meters from residential homes in the northern Gaza Strip, the footage shows.

Another clip shows troops of the 401st Brigade locating a number of rocket launchers within a playground and an amusement park compound, Times of Israel reported.

“This is further proof of the Hamas’ constant use of the civilian population as a human shield,” the IDF said.

The IDF said that it has also killed an IS operative and detained 36 wanted Palestinians, including 18 Hamas members, during overnight raids across the West Bank, Times of Israel reported.

The IDF had entered Abu Dis village, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, to arrest Nabil Halabia, a Palestinian affiliated with the IS until recently jailed in Israel.

--IANS

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