Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Fighting has intensified in the central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attempt to expand its control while facing fierce resistance from the Hamas Movement and other Palestinian armed factions.
On January 4, the IDF said in a statement that reservists of the Kiryati Brigade directed an Israeli Air Force aircraft to strike three Hamas fighters attempting to plant a bomb near the forces in the city of Khan Yunis. The troops killed two other fighters who were hiding in a nearby building, according to the IDF. A fighter jet also hit a Hamas weapons depot in the city, the IDF added.
Also in southern Gaza, the IDF said that Hamas fighters fired anti-tank missiles at the 7th Armored Brigade, and a short while later, an aircraft struck the cell behind the attack and the launch position.
In central Gaza’s Deir al Balah city, the IDF said that the 98th Division directed an airstrike on a building used by Hamas as an anti-tank missile launch position. A fighter jet hit the launch site, as well as two more buildings in the area where some of the fighters fled. The IDF added that another Hamas fighter who arrived later to search the area for weapons was hit in a separate airstrike.
In al-Bureij, also located in central Gaza, the IDF said troops of the Golani Brigade located several long-range rocket launchers.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Navy has continued to carry out strikes along Gaza’s coast, aiding the ground forces. The strikes over the past day killed a number of Hamas fighters attempting to ambush ground forces, according to the IDF.
In a separate statement, the IDF said that reservists of the Kiryati Armored Brigade and 55th Paratroopers Brigade operating in southern Gaza have killed many fighters of Hamas’ northern and eastern Khan Younis battalions, and significantly damaged their command and control, preventing fighters from carrying out large-scale attacks.
The IDF releases video footage of the two reserve brigades operating in the Khan Younis area, killing Hamas fighters in tunnels and detaining alleged operatives of the group’s elite Nukhba force.
The IDF also announced that it had assassinated a senior commander of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
In a joint statement with the Shin Bet, the IDF says Mamdouh Lulu served as an assistant to the commanders of the al-Quds Brigades’ northern Gaza division. He also maintained contact with Islamic Jihad officials abroad.
From its side, Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that its fighters hit five Merkavak main battle tanks of the IDF with rocket-propelled grenades and targeted several gatherings of Israeli troops with explosive devices and mortars in central and southern Gaza.
The al-Quds Brigades also announced rocket attacks against Ashkelon and other nearby Israeli settlements and said that its fighters hit two IDF vehicles in central Gaza with rocket-propelled grenades.
The IDF appears to be in a hurry to capture Khan Yunis and expand its control in central Gaza. However, Hamas and other factions are putting up fierce resistance.
