Hamas Terrorists Convert Gaza Grave into Launchpad

Thursday, 16 January 2025 | A video released by the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday shows Hamas operatives documenting themselves as they position a rocket launcher inside an open grave at a cemetery in the Gaza Strip.

Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, shared the video on X, commenting, “Look at the absurdity of these ISIS-like individuals from Hamas and their degraded values as they place a rocket launcher filled with explosives into an open grave, documenting themselves laughing together.”

“Hamas shows no mercy even for the dead,” he continued. “Islam is innocent of these ISIS-like individuals from Hamas. For them—these extremists—shame and disgrace await both in this world and the next.”

In a statement, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit cited the cemetery footage as further evidence of Hamas’s systematic exploitation of protected sites, which has included schools, UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees] structures and hospitals. These actions constitute “a blatant violation of international law,” the IDF statement added.

The IDF has documented multiple similar incidents of Hamas using civilian infrastructure for military operations across the Gaza Strip in recent months. One such incident took place in December when Hamas placed explosives near the medical facilities of the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia. The IDF then captured hundreds of terrorists who were using the hospital as a base of operations.

Overnight Tuesday, Israel carried out airstrikes on key Hamas terrorist figures and infrastructure in Gaza, including a senior terrorist in a former school in Daraj Tuffah used as a command and control center, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in Khan Yunis and Deir al Balah were also targeted.