Israel announces a soldier was killed in a Hezbollah attack

An Israeli soldier was killed in northern Israel near the Lebanese border. Refael Kauders, 39, died in an attack involving two explosive drones that also left at least nine soldiers injured.

The attack took place amid escalating tensions between the terrorist group Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas and Iran, and the Israeli government. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised his troops would respond strongly to Hezbollah's latest attacks. Hours later, Lebanese Shiite militia blew up an unmanned aerial vehicle in the northern town of Hurfeish.

Hezbollah has been attacking northern areas of Israel since October 8, one day after the Hamas surprise attack that started the war. The area has been evacuated since then.

On the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed in these attacks in the north since the start of the war, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Since the beginning of the war, a total of 645 soldiers have died, 294 of them were killed in Gaza.

Terrorists sheltered in a school

On Thursday, the IDF attacked a United Nations school where, Israeli sources claim, terrorists from the special unit Nukhba Forces who "participated in the October 7 massacre" were hiding.

"Before the strike, a number of steps were taken to reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians during the strike," Israeli troops said. They explained that the attack took place in three classrooms far from where the Palestinian civilians were. It was postponed twice to ensure the safety of civilians and aerial inspections were carried out.

Israeli authorities have long claimed that Hamas uses sensitive buildings, such as schools and hospitals, to hide weapons and launch attacks. This is the case of Al Shifa hospital, the largest medical center in Gaza, or a headquarters of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

They said the same thing about the most recent attack, in a school run by UNRWA - an organization that has been questioned for its links with Hamas. Terrorists carried out attacks from the school and took refuge from the Israeli response.

The IDF also reported that it killed three terrorists as they attempted to cross into Israel from Rafah. One soldier also died.