Israel was at the forefront of heavy criticism last week after the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) leveled a building in Gaza that housed multiple media offices, including the Associated Press. However, Israel confirmed that the Palestinian terrorist organization, Hamas, was heavily operating out of the building and that this is why it was targeted.
According to Politico, Israel provided intel to the United States which indicated Hamas based a significant portion of its assets out of that facility.
"The person familiar with the situation confirmed that Israel has shared some classified intelligence with America about the building, but declined to characterize it other than to say it suggested the Hamas presence was significant, including involving operational activity. The United States has told Israel that it should share more information publicly about this intelligence."
The Israeli Defense Force warned individuals occupying the building to evacuate an hour before striking it down with missiles, indicating that Israel's intentions were not to target civilians.
Israel shared classified intelligence with the US about Hamas operating out of the building, but only mentioned that Hamas had a significant presence in that facility, a source familiar with the situation told Politico.
AP CEO Gary Pruitt condemned Israel's actions in a statement on Saturday, saying:
"We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP's bureau and other news organizations in Gaza," Gary Pruitt said.
Pruitt said that his journalists "narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life," though they were given an hour to vacate the premises.
"The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today," Pruitt continued.
He went on to state the false claim that "the Israel Defense Forces is deliberately targeting media facilities in order to disrupt coverage of the human suffering in Gaza."
An Israeli Embassy spokesperson declined to provide further comment on Israel’s intelligence briefing with the United States, Politico reported.
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