Israel Launches Third Phase of Ground Offensive in Gaza: Marking Significant and Intense Period of the Conflict
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Thousands of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) infantry and engineering troops, accompanied by armored forces, are currently engaged in combat against Hamas militants in Jabaliya, Shijaiyah, and Khan Younis. The IDF characterizes this as “the most significant and intense combat period since the beginning of the war.”
In a press conference, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halavi stated that the IDF has entered the third phase of the ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“After 60 days since the beginning of the war, our forces are surrounding the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza. At the same time, we are working to deepen the achievement in the northern part of the Strip. Anyone who thought that the IDF would not know how to resume the fighting after the truce was mistaken. Hamas is feeling this strongly,” Halevi stated.
“We captured many Hamas strongholds in northern Gaza, and now we are operating against its centers of gravity in the south,” he continued.
The IDF anticipates that the ongoing military operations in Khan Younis, as well as in Jabaliya and Shijaiyah, aimed at eliminating all Hamas operatives in these areas, will extend over a period of weeks.
The challenge in Khan Younis is that roughly a million Palestinians have migrated from the northern Gaza Strip to the west and southwest of the city, and in addition, numerous residents within Khan Younis have not yet evacuated allowing Hamas human shields to slow the IDF’s progress in clearing the region of terrorists.
However, the IDF has successfully persuaded a substantial portion of the population to relocate to “safer areas” west of the Khan Younis and south along the coast, as indicated by maps distributed to residents.
The IDF believes that an entire brigade of Hamas terrorists is situated in Khan Younis; however, it’s worth noting that the city’s structures differ significantly from those in Gaza City. Khan Younis is characterized by predominantly low-rise structures with fewer floors.
According to the IDF, approximately 6,000 Hamas terrorists have been eliminated in Gaza since the start of the war. The IDF estimates there were roughly 20,000 Hamas members active in the Gaza Strip when the war began.
High-ranking figures, including generals and commanders, have been significantly reduced in the northern part of the strip. The remaining terrorists are now operating in small, localized cells, according to the IDF.
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