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<\/p>\nIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) has released dramatic battleground footage of its troops battling Hamas operatives inside a school in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Troops of Israel\u2019s elite LOTAR Unit can be seen firing rounds at Hamas militants in Gaza City\u2019s Shejaiya neighborhood.<\/p>\n
According to the IDF, troops of the 188th Armored Brigade\u2019s 74th Battalion, along with LOTAR soldiers, fought a Hamas cell as they searched the building.<\/p>\n
The IDF said in a statement: \u201cThe terrorists tried to draw the forces into an ambush, with gunfire and explosives, and were eliminated by the troops of the LOTAR Unit and tank fire of the 74th Battalion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israeli troops later searched the school and found a tunnel shaft inside one of the classrooms.<\/p>\n
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This comes amid Israel\u2019s ramped up invasion of Gaza against Hamas, in which more than 16,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to local health authorities.<\/p>\n
Israel has accused Hamas of using civilians as \u201chuman shields\u201d as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consistently pushes back against international calls for a ceasefire.<\/p>\n
And the IDF uncovered Hamas \u201clargest stockpile of weapons\u201d in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday near a school and clinic.<\/p>\n
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