Israeli authorities announced this Thursday that the western part of Gaza City has been cleared following operations carried out by the Army against Hamas and they will move on to the next phase of the offensive.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are now moving to the “next phase” of their ground operation in the Gaza Strip, more than a month after the start of the military intervention. in the territory of the Gaza Strip.
Gallant claimed that the army had made “important discoveries” related to Hamas activities at al-Shifa hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, as it advanced a new chapter of its raid, although he did not provide details about the material. found by soldiers. .within the health unit.
“The operation continues and is being carried out in a precise, selective and very determined manner,” said the head of Defense during a visit to the troops of the 36th infantry division.
The minister confirmed that the Army has taken control of “the entire western part of Gaza,” indicating that it is free of the presence of Hamas agents.
The main hospital in the Gaza Strip is presented by Israel as a strategic and military center of Hamas, a claim rejected by the Islamist movement, in power in the territory since 2007.
The IDF carries out “precise and specific operational activities within the hospital complex,” which are “managed in stages, based on assessments of the current situation,” an Israeli military commander reported today.
“The military advances from building to building, searching each floor, while hundreds of patients and medical personnel remain in the complex,” according to the same source, who states that the operation “is carried out discreetly, methodically and exhaustively.” , according to interrogations carried out on the ground.
The Israeli military command insisted that “there is a well-hidden terrorist infrastructure” in the health complex.
According to the official, so far “weapons, information – including about the events of October 7 -, technological equipment, military equipment, command and control centers and communications equipment, all belonging to Hamas,” as well as images have been found. related to the hostages captured by the Palestinian movement in its October 7 attack on southern Israel.
Figures provided to Agence France-Presse (AFP) indicate that around 2,300 people are in the hospital unit.
On October 7, fighters from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) – in power in the Gaza Strip since 2007 and classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel – carried out an attack on Israeli territory of dimensions unprecedented since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, it left 1,200 dead, mostly civilians, around five thousand injured and more than 200 hostages.
In retaliation, Israel declared a war to “eradicate” Hamas, which began with food, water, electricity and fuel cuts in the Gaza Strip and daily shelling, followed by a ground offensive surrounding Gaza City.
The war between Israel and Hamas, which this Thursday turned 41 days and continues to threaten to spread throughout the Middle East region, has so far left 11,500 dead in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, 29,800 injured, 3,250 missing under the rubble and more than 1.6 million displaced, according to the most recent report from local authorities.
Source: TSF
