Former Obama aide says he 'talked to people' who worked in Gaza media building knowing Hamas had office space

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Former Obama aide Tommy Vietor appeared to back the assertion made by Israel that the terrorist organization Hamas had occupied space in the same building that housed various media organizations before it was destroyed. 

There was an international outcry among journalists over the weekend after Israel targeted a building that housed the Gaza bureaus of media outlets like the Associated Press and Al Jazeera over intelligence that Hamas had military operations at that location. Journalists and residents were warned and evacuated before the strike was conducted. 

On Saturday, Vietor took to Twitter and scolded critics who accused the Associated Press of knowingly sharing a workspace with a terrorist organization, though the outlet has denied having any prior knowledge in the 15 years of being located in that building. 

"I'm sure Hamas offices were in that building & that they purposefully co-locate operations with civilians. But that is not a new problem," Vietor tweeted. "And if the IDF wants to claim that the military effort is targeted, precise, etc...then you shouldn't hit that building." 

A Twitter user then asked Vietor why he was "sure" that Hamas was located in that building. 

He replied, "I talked to people who worked in the building."

Vietor appeared to walk back his tweets after they went viral as it was asserted that he was "certain" that Hamas had military operations in that building. 

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"Wrong. I talked to someone who *used* to work out of that building periodically who said he believed there may have been Hamas offices there," Vietor wrote. 

He later explained, "Yeah I could've worded it better. I'm sure that Hamas operates in civilian areas for protection. A journalist friend who used to work out of that building told me Hamas worked out of it, too. I still don't think the IDF should have bombed the building."