Amid world outcry against an Israeli airstrike that took out two Hamas terrorist leaders but also reportedly killed dozens of Palestinian civilians, Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that the “small munitions” used in the attack simply could not have caused the fire that caused such devastation. They think a Hamas ammunition storage facility may be to blame:

The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that a hidden store of weapons may have been the actual cause of a deadly blaze in southern Gaza’s Rafah, and that an airstrike that targeted an adjacent area had used small munitions that would not ignite such a fire on their own.

The military suspects that the munitions or some other combustible substance it was unaware of caused a secondary explosion and a fire to spread in a complex housing displaced Gazans in Rafah, killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, following an airstrike targeting two top Hamas terrorists in the area.

The targeted strike in Rafah, 1.7 km from the humanitarian area, used precise munitions carrying 34kg of explosives to eliminate 2 senior Hamas terrorists.

We are looking into the possibility of secondary explosions from a Hamas ammunition warehouse near the civilian compound… pic.twitter.com/DicBs9BVUd

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 28, 2024

We are looking into the possibility of secondary explosions from a Hamas ammunition warehouse near the civilian compound and over 100 meters away from the strike site—causing the fire that tragically took civilian lives. We are investigating the cause of the fire and will continue to operate in accordance with international law.

The strike took out two terrorists that the IDF had been tracking, as RedState’s Becca Lower reported Sunday:

The report continued with details on who the Hamas leaders were and their ties to previous terror attacks killing Israelis: 

IDF sources told Fox News Digital the strike eliminated Yassin Rabia, the commander of Hamas’ leadership in Judea and Samaria, as well as Khaled Nagar, a senior official in Hamas’ Judea and Samaria wing.

The IDF said that both men had perpetrated numerous terrorist attacks in the early 2000s in which Israeli civilians and soldiers were killed.

Last night, the @IAFsite carried out an intelligence-based precise strike that targeted senior Hamas terrorists in Tal as Sultan.

Contrary to Hamas' lies and misinformation, the strike did not take place in the Al-Mawasi Humanitarian Area.

This is the area where the strike… pic.twitter.com/IiyOdnQfx9

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 27, 2024

The international outcry has been intense, with numerous countries and leaders calling on Israel to end their prosecution of the war. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, posted this Monday:

I condemn Israel’s actions which killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict.

There is no safe place in Gaza.

This horror must stop.

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 27, 2024

The one thing that always seems to go unmentioned by these various leaders: Hamas routinely uses civilians as human shields, they still hold numerous hostages whose release might very well end the conflict immediately, and they started this war with their barbaric, almost inhuman attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. If IDF turns out to be right, and they had an ammunition warehouse right next to a civilian compound, then that would show yet again that they care nothing for the Palestinian civilians. Certainly, the loss of life in this tragedy—and in this war—is heartbreaking, but the blame belongs on Hamas’ shoulders, not Israel’s.