Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an airstrike Sunday on a compound beneath the al-Ansar Mosque in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank after receiving intel that indicated "terrorists...were organizing an imminent terror attack," the military said in a statement. While most of Israel’s offensive against Hamas has been targeted at Gaza, which is fully under Hamas control, this is the second Israeli air strike on a West Bank target in recent days.

The IDF & ISA just conducted an aerial strike on a Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist compound in the Al-Ansar Mosque in Jenin.

Recent IDF intel revealed that the Mosque was used as a command center to plan and execute terrorist attacks against civilians. pic.twitter.com/gQfyv6wUAV

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 22, 2023

Israeli authorities said the facility was being used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to plan further attacks against Israel after its initial assault on October 7. This situation further highlights how Hamas is all too willing to place Palestinian civilians in danger as it fights against Israel.

Israeli aircraft struck a compound beneath a mosque in the West Bank early on Sunday that the military said was being used by militants to organise attacks, and Palestinian medics said at least one person was killed.

The Israeli air strike is at least the second in recent days to hit the West Bank, where violence has surged since Hamas gunmen from Gaza carried out a deadly Oct. 7 rampage in Israel.

Israel said the compound beneath al-Ansar Mosque, in Jenin refugee camp, belonged to operatives from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad who were responsible for attacks in recent months.

"Intel was recently received which indicated that the terrorists, (who) were neutralized, were organizing an imminent terror attack," the military said in a statement.

The military released images that it said showed an entrance to a bunker under the mosque. It also released a diagram that it said showed where militants had stored weapons there.

The IDF also indicated that it raided a refugee camp near the central city of Tulkarm on Thursday to capture suspects and confiscate weapons.

While Israel is criticized by Hamas sympathizers for conducting strikes near mosques, schools, or hospitals, the terrorist group often embeds operatives and weapons in these areas, as they did in this case. As I wrote previously:

The group does this because it creates a win-win situation for them. If Israel decides not to attack an area due to the possibility of civilian casualties, Hamas can safely keep its operatives and weaponry in those areas. If Israel does decide to attack, the resulting civilian casualties can be used as a propaganda tool against the Jewish state, which plays well for anti-Israeli forces like the United Nations and others.

Israel’s air strike on a West Bank target further illustrates the complexities of this war and the overall conflict between Israel and terrorist groups like Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah. But it also underscores the reality that the war is not just playing out on the battlefield but also on the international stage when it comes to the battle for public opinion.