The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) yesterday engaged in the “most intense day” of fighting with Hamas since the ground invasion began on October 27. “Sixty days after the start of the war, our forces have surrounded the Khan Younis area in the south of the Gaza Strip,” Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said. “We have taken control of several Hamas strongholds in the north of the Gaza Strip and are now taking action against their strongholds in the south,” he added, as quoted by the newspaper. Haaretz.
“We are in the midst of the most intense day since the ground operation began,” Southern Region Commander Gen. Yaron Finkelman said in a statement. “We are in the heart of Jabalia, in the heart of Shuja ‘iyya and now also in the heart of Khan Younis,” he added, speaking in the largest refugee camp in the north of the Palestinian enclave and also in an area east of Gaza City.
On the Hamas side, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that they had destroyed or damaged 24 Israeli military vehicles in Khan Younis alone, in addition to their snipers killing or wounding eight Israeli soldiers. Officially, Israel confirmed only two deaths yesterday, for a total of 77 since the ground offensive began.
Authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza say Israeli forces have killed at least 16,248 people, including 7,112 children, since the Palestinian terror group’s surprise attack on October 7 – which Israeli authorities say killed at least 1,200 people in Israel. Yesterday, a single Israeli bombardment in Deir el-Balah caused the deaths of 45 people, a person in charge of a hospital in the area, north of Khan Younis, told Reuters.
Israel believes Hamas leaders are hiding in the region’s network of tunnels, having taken control of virtually the entire northern part of the territory before the seven-day hostage break – of the approximately 240 who entered Gaza on October 7 were brought. 138 will still be in the hands of Hamas.
Monday newspaper Wall Street Journal he spoke about an Israeli plan to flood the tunnels with seawater, for which the necessary bombs are already being prepared. Halevi said yesterday it was a “good idea.” The chief of staff said that soldiers are finding “a lot of underground infrastructure in Gaza” as expected and that “part of the goal is to destroy it.” We have different ways. “I will not talk about specific plans, but they include explosives to destroy and other ways to prevent Hamas operatives from using the tunnels to harm our soldiers,” he said.
The Palestinian Authority warns that such a plan would lead to the collapse of above-ground infrastructure, including residential buildings, and to the “deterioration of the humanitarian situation” and a “public health disaster” due to the mixing of salt water with fresh water . with waste water. Egypt already used this tactic in 2015 to tackle the tunnels under the Rafah border used by smugglers.
With agencies
Source: DN
