ISRAEL said its forces killed ‘dozens’ of Hamas fighters after storming Gaza’s sprawling network of tunnels and attacking underground compounds.
Israeli troops have made “significant progress” in their ground offensive as they continue to advance deeper into the besieged enclave.
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Rows of Israeli tanks lined up as they are deployed to GazaCredit: IDF
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The IDF said its troops were in ‘fierce fighting’ with Hamas in GazaCredit: IDF
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Israeli soldiers are shown marching through Gaza after ‘significant progress’ Credit: IDF
Israel said that IDF forces were “waging fierce battles against the terrorists of the terrorist organization Hamas deep in the Gaza Strip.”
Ground and air forces were said to have hit Hamas positions and anti-tank guided missile squads, killing dozens of Hamas fighters and seizing weapons.
Israeli troops were filmed marching through Gaza after hitting more than 300 targets overnight.
It came after footage showed tanks and troops entering Gaza and destroying 600 terrorist targets in 24 hours.
Israel said today that troops attacked armed members of Hamas inside Gaza’s vast network of tunnels – where the terror group is believed to be hiding hostages.
The tunnels are a key target for Tel Aviv as it expands ground operations inside Gaza to wipe out Hamas after an armed attack three weeks ago that killed more than 1,400 Israelis.
Speaking of the “second phase” of the war, former British military commander Colonel Richard Kemp said Israel had made “significant progress”.
He told The Sun: “I think the IDF entered the Gaza Strip in significant military strength, with tanks, infantry engineers supported by artillery attack, helicopters and drones.
“And they’re making pretty significant progress, there were reports today that they destroyed a lot of Hamas infrastructure inside Gaza, killed about four senior Hamas leaders.
“As far as I know, there were either no or very limited Israeli casualties, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. So I think it’s going pretty well so far.”
Comes as:
- IDF soldier Ori Megidish was rescued after being taken hostage by Hamas terrorists
- Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has rejected all calls for a ceasefire, saying it is “time for war”
- Israel used its Arrow 3 ‘killer missile’ for the first time against a missile launched by Iran-backed rebels in Yemen
- The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen as aid trucks try to enter and the Palestinian Authority claims thousands have been killed
- Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu strongly condemned the “cruel” video of the Hamas hostages
- Israel said German tattoo artist Shani Louk was tortured and decapitated after a skull fragment was found
- A pro-Hamas terrorist was killed in Jerusalem after stabbing a police officer
Israel used the Arrow long-range defense system for the first time when it intercepted a surface-to-surface missile near the city of Eilat, launched from the “Red Sea area”.
The IDF said the Arrow intercepted the missile “at the most appropriate operational time and place.”
Later, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen issued a video statement claiming to have fired ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, before threatening to carry out more attacks.
A Houthi military statement broadcast on rebel Al-Masirah television said: “The Yemeni armed forces… confirm that they will continue to carry out high-quality missile and drone attacks until the Israeli aggression ceases.”
Israel’s national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi called the attack “intolerable” in a televised briefing before adding that there was “no deal in sight” to free the hostages held in Gaza.
The IDF said it killed Hamas fighters in ground and air strikes and hit targets including anti-tank missiles and launch sites, as well as military compounds inside underground tunnels.
The update said: “During the expanded ground operations, numerous Hamas terrorists were killed; hundreds of additional military targets were hit.
“During the past day, the combined combat forces of the IDF hit approximately 300 targets.”
It added that Hamas responded with machine gun fire and anti-tank missiles.
Israel said: “The soldiers killed the terrorists and directed the air force to attack targets and terrorist infrastructure in real time.”
It comes after Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry said a number of Israeli airstrikes hit apartment blocks in a residential area of the Jabalia refugee camp – leaving around 200 people dead or injured.
Ministry spokesman Ayed al-Bazm said at a press conference that six bombs fell on a residential area on Tuesday – but the IDF has yet to comment.
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The IDF said the soldiers were engaged in ‘fierce fighting’ with HamasCredit: IDF
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Israeli troops are shown pushing deeper into Gaza after hitting 300 targets Credit: IDF
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Israel released photos showing soldiers firing at targets in GazaCredit: IDF
Pictures showed flattened buildings and sinkholes, while residents reported buildings shaking.
A statement from the Gaza Health Ministry said: “More than 50 martyrs and around 150 wounded and dozens under rubble, in a heinous Israeli massacre that targeted a large area of homes in the Jabalia camp in the northern Strip.”
Jabalia is the largest of the eight refugee camps in Gaza and houses 116,000 refugees, according to the United Nations.
Asked about the next phase of the offensive and potential escalation, Kemp believes more troops will be heading to Gaza soon.
He added: “I think there will likely be a continuation of airstrikes as ground operations progress, and possibly an increase in the number of IDF forces inside Gaza.
“It could be that, in addition to trying to destroy Hamas inside Gaza, they are trying to push the civilian population into northern Gaza and prevent those civilians who have already left from returning to northern Gaza from the south.”
The IDF also released a radio recording of the head of the Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, telling soldiers in the Gaza Strip that there could be “no other result than victory.”
He can be heard saying, “Southern Command Station, Commander speaking.
“We are launching an attack on Hamas and terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. Our goal is one, victory.
“No matter how long the fight is, how hard it is, there is no other result than victory.
“We will fight professionally and forcefully in light of the IDF values we were raised on. Chief among them is to stick to the mission and strive for victory.
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Tanks and military vehicles were seen moving into Gaza this morningCredit: IDF
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Colonel Richard Kemp said Israel would try to push civilians into northern Gaza
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Former colonel believes more Israeli forces will move into Gaza in next phase of warCredit: IDF
“We will fight in the alleys, we will fight in the tunnels, we will fight where necessary. We will strike at the formidable enemy that stands before us.”
It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected international calls for a ceasefire and vowed to crush the terror group.
After the first successful hostage rescue, the Israeli prime minister dismissed the possibility of a ceasefire and said it was “time for war”.
He said: “That will not happen,” adding that Israel “will fight until this battle is won.”
Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas.
IDF soldier Ori Megidish was rescued yesterday after 23 days, when Hamas took her hostage in an attack on October 7th.
Israel declared war on Hamas after attacks in which 1,400 Israelis were killed and about 230 kidnapped and dragged deep into Gaza.
The country’s relentless airstrikes have been followed by an all-out ground offensive as Israel has attacked the Gaza Strip in recent days.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army demolished the family home of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri.
According to a CNN analysis, Israeli troops have advanced more than three miles into Gaza.
Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said ground operations in Gaza were focused on the north, including Gaza City, which he said was Hamas’ center of gravity.
“But we also continue to attack other parts of Gaza. We hunt down their commanders, we attack their infrastructure, and whenever there is an important target associated with Hamas, we attack it,” he added.
The Israeli army released a video showing soldiers walking through an open area as heavy gunfire echoes in the background and setting up a position in the ruins of a heavily damaged building.
Conricus added that 800,000 people obeyed the orders of the Israeli army to flee from the northern part of the strip to the south.
But tens of thousands of people remain in and around Gaza City, and casualties are expected to mount on both sides as the battle moves into densely populated, residential areas.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen as the Palestinian death toll since October 7 has topped 8,300 – while more than 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
The World Health Organization announced that two hospitals and an ambulance were destroyed in Gaza in the last two days.
A strike near Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City sent debris and dust pouring into the facility, which is packed with patients as well as thousands of displaced people.
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IDF said it killed Hamas fighters in ground and airstrikesCredit: IDF
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