Hamas is nearing its breaking point in northern Gaza as Israeli forces besiege its last two strongholds there and expel local commanders, Israel said on Monday.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed that the Israel Defense Forces “almost demolished” the remaining Palestinian terrorist strongholds in Jabalya and Shejaiya after mass surrenders in the area, CNN reported.
“We are near the breaking point in the northern Gaza Strip,” Gallant said. “Anyone who prefers to surrender, as hundreds have done – we will spare their lives.”
Gallant’s comments came a day after the IDF confirmed the death of Emad Krikae, commander of Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion.
Krikae is the leader believed to be behind the anti-tank missile drills in Gaza City and allegedly took part in the rocket fire and raids carried out against Israel on 7 October.
The reign of the Hamas official was short-lived. He was killed by Israeli forces, as was his predecessor who was listed last week among a dozen other commanders, including the one in Jabalya, killed in Gaza since the war began.
Emad Krikae, commander of Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion, was confirmed dead Monday. IDF
Along with killing half of the estimated 24 Hamas battalion leaders, the IDF said it had arrested 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists over the past month. About 140 of the men were detained more than a week ago when a temporary ceasefire agreement failed.
The Israeli army stated that some operatives “were caught hiding in public buildings, schools and shelters.”
Keep up with the news on the Israel-Hamas war and the surge in global antisemitism with The Post’s Israel War Updates, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Members of the terrorist group have been transferred to the Israel Security Agency and Unit 504 for further questioning, the IDF said.
The details come days after about 100 Palestinian soldiers, mostly in their underwear, were captured on video surrendering to the IDF in Jabalya and Shejaiya.
The Israeli army seized a group of weapons in a mosque in Jabalya. via REUTERS
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described the image of the nearly nude man as “deeply disturbing” during a press briefing Monday, adding that the US is investigating why such images were released in the first place.
Gallant claims that many of the fighters who have surrendered to the IDF lack food and weapons, as much of northern Gaza has struggled with a lack of resources since the war broke out.
There is still much concern about the fighting in Jabalya, which is home to one of the largest refugee camps in northern Gaza. There have been dozens of deaths reported in the camp in recent days, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Smoke from the airstrikes could be seen from a refugee camp filled with Palestinians fleeing Khan Younis. AFP via Getty Images The Israeli army continues its ground offensive across Gaza, which has led to the arrest of more than 500 terrorists. via REUTERS
As war continues in northern and southern Gaza, Israel also faces conflict along its northern border with Lebanon, where it traded missiles with Hezbollah terrorists on Monday.
“In response to launches from Lebanon towards communities in the western Galilee earlier today, IDF fighter jets attacked Hezbollah military sites,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Hezbollah confirmed the attack and that it suffered a “direct shock” from Israel but stated that the terrorist group would continue to fight to support Gaza.
The group then fired several anti-tank missiles at houses along Metula in northern Israel. The bombing, Hezbollah claimed, was in retaliation for a Lebanese mayor killed in an earlier IDF airstrike.
The IDF said it had encircled the remaining Hamas forces in northern Gaza. via REUTERS
Miller noted that the US is also seeking answers about the fighting in Lebanon after claims that Israel had used white phosphorus missiles in one of the attacks.
Although not banned by international law, incendiary missiles are tightly controlled, with Israel facing harsh criticism after launching such rockets into the densely populated Gaza Strip in 2008.
“Anytime we provide items like white phosphorus or anything else to another military, we do so with the expectation that they will be used for legitimate purposes and in full compliance with humanitarian law and the laws of armed conflict,” Miller said.
Israeli forces engaged Hamas gunmen in Jabalya after the end of the ceasefire agreement. via REUTERS
As Israel battles Iranian-backed terrorist groups, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Jewish state claims that the Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war are actually part of a larger global conflict about good vs. evil.
“Israel and Ukraine are now at the forefront of the free world war against the axis of evil led by Russia and Iran,” Ukrainian Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk said in a statement after a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Korniychuk urged Netanyahu not to ally with Russia, calling Putin a hypocrite for showing concern about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
