Israel's military said Wednesday it had found a major arms depot "in the heart of a civilian population" in Gaza, and seized or destroyed missiles, grenades, drones and other weapons.
"One of the largest weapons depots in the Gaza Strip was found near a clinic and school" in the north of the Palestinian territory, a statement said.
"The depot contained hundreds of RPG missiles and launchers of various types, dozens of anti-tank missiles, dozens of explosive devices, long-range missiles aimed at central Israel, dozens of grenades and UAVs," it continued.
"Some were destroyed on-site and some were sent for further investigation."
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Israel launched a major ground campaign in Gaza after weeks of bombardments following Hamas's October 7 attack.
The attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and another 240 were taken back into Gaza as hostages, Israeli officials say.
The latest toll from the Hamas government's media office said 16,248 people had been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel's campaign, most of them women and children.
{{/usCountry}}The latest toll from the Hamas government's media office said 16,248 people had been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel's campaign, most of them women and children.
{{/usCountry}}In its statement on Wednesday, the army called the discovery of the weapons depot "additional proof of Hamas' cynical use of the residents of the Gaza Strip as human shields".