Israel, on Saturday night, launched a surprise ground operation in northern Gaza, eliminating a large number of Hamas terrorist fighters.
The Israeli military began the operation, focused around the Jabaliya area, following intelligence reports warning of a possible large-scale Hamas terror attack on the anniversary of the October 7 massacre. Gaza-based terrorists could ambush IDF troops or unleash rocket barrages at Israel to mark the one year since the horrific events of October 7, the Israeli media reported.
Hamas has regrouped in Jabaliya after Israel in May withdrew its troops amid massive pressure from the Biden administration. The military intelligence “indicated the presence of terrorists and terror infrastructure in the area of Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as efforts by Hamas to rebuild its operational capabilities in the area,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed in a statement Saturday.
Israeli ground troops “have successfully encircled the area and are currently continuing to operate in the area,” the IDF added.
According to the IDF, the operation aims to “systematically dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area,” and it will “continue as long as required in order to achieve its objectives.”
The Israeli news website YNET reported the details of the unfolding northern Gaza operation:
The IDF launched an intense overnight raid on Jabaliya in northern Gaza, striking from two directions and inflicting heavy casualties on terrorist, the IDF reported on Sunday.The operation, led by the 162nd Division, began late Saturday after troops redeployed from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egyptian border to northern Gaza, with the military indicating it would last for several days. (…)Ahead of the anniversary of the October 7 attack, Southern Command has bolstered its forces to reinforce security amid concerns of possible terror attacks. The military warned of potential rocket fire or assaults from Gaza-based terrorist groups.”Our forces are operating in the north, south and center of Gaza, conducting numerous strikes and eliminating terrorists,” Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman said. “Southern Command is on high alert for the coming days.”Palestinian media reported widespread strikes in the Jabaliya area, while the IDF announced a targeted airstrike on a Hamas complex in the city. According to the military, air force jets struck Hamas terrorists operating from a command and control center previously used as a UNRWA facility.
“Prior to and during the operation, the IAF struck dozens of military targets in order to assist IDF ground troops,” the Israeli military said. “Among the targets struck were weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure sites, terrorist cells, and additional military infrastructure sites.”
In a bid to prevent civilian casualties, the IDF moved tens of thousands of Gazans out of the potential combat zone. “The IDF evacuated tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians from northern Gaza on Sunday as it invaded Jabalya,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
The IDF also destroyed a Hamas command center located inside an abandoned school in northern Gaza. The Air Force “conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center embedded within a compound that previously served as the ‘Khalifa bin Zayed’ School in the northern Gaza Strip.,” the IDF disclosed Saturday.
Hamas deliberately places its terrorist bases and weapons cache inside or below civilian structures such as schools, mosques, and even hospitals. “These command and control centers were used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the Israeli military noted.
While Hamas continues to embed its terror fighters and infrastructure in humanitarian and residential areas, the IDF undertook all possible measures to minimize civilian casualties. Military took “numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence information,” the IDF informed.
As part of the ongoing Israeli ground offensive in southern Lebanon, the IDF on Saturday took out a Hezbollah commander responsible for deadly rocket attacks in northern Israel.
Israeli fighter jets “struck and eliminated the terrorist Hader Ali Taweel, who served as the Kfarkela Company Commander of the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” the IDF announced.
“Taweel was responsible for firing hundreds of projectiles and anti-tank missiles toward Israeli communities in northern Israel,” the IDF added.
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