2023-12-23 23:51:59
The Israeli army said it expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip over the weekend. As army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on Saturday evening, the troops were involved in “complex battles in densely populated areas.” They would penetrate further strongholds of the Islamist Hamas. So far, ground forces have destroyed or seized around 30,000 explosive devices, including anti-tank missiles and rockets owned by Hamas.
The military had previously announced that it had killed a senior Hamas official who was responsible for supplying weapons.
The soldiers continued to fight in densely populated areas such as the southern city of Khan Yunis and tracked down “terrorist infrastructures”, especially in the underground tunnels, the army spokesman said. The technical forces have therefore been significantly increased. The capacities of the division fighting there would be further expanded in the coming days. Destroying the tunnels would be time-consuming.
Below the Gaza Strip there is an entire network of tunnels stretching for many kilometers in which, according to Israel, a number of Hamas terrorists are hiding and are also holding hostages from Israel there. To withstand Israel’s bombs from the air, some tunnels extend dozens of meters underground. The terrorists also use the tunnels to appear seemingly out of nowhere and attack from behind. Many of the tunnels are booby-trapped to kill Israeli soldiers who enter them.
The war was triggered by the worst attack in Israel’s history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 near the border with the Gaza Strip. As a result, more than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side. Israel responded with massive air strikes and began a ground offensive in late October. In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal area, Israel has recently come under increasing international pressure.
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