Israel’s military says Hamas has been destroyed in northern Gaza and the Jewish state will now focus on eradicating the terrorists from the central and southern parts of the territory.
12 battalions of Palestinian terror groups operating from northern Gaza have been defeated, Israel Defense Forces Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced over the weekend.
“We have completed the dismantling of the Hamas military framework in the northern Gaza Strip and will continue to deepen the achievements,” Hagari said.
“Now, we are focusing on dismantling Hamas in the middle and south of the Gaza Strip. We will do this differently, comprehensively, based on the lessons we have learned from the battles so far.”
Some 8,000 Hamas militants have been killed in the IDF campaign in northern Gaza alone, with key commanders killed and some 30,000 weapons seized, according to the Financial Times.
The announcement marks a major development in Israel’s campaign to eliminate Hamas and comes on the three-month anniversary of the terrorist group’s October 7 sneak attack, which left some 1,200 Israelis dead and 240 hostages.
Israeli troops patrol Gaza, where some 8,000 Hamas terrorists have reportedly been killed during fighting in the north alone. IDF
Before the weekend announcement, Israel had begun scaling back its operations in northern Gaza and diverting resources to attacks in central and southern Gaza.
The Biden administration has urged Israel to end its ground campaign and rocket attacks on the region and instead focus on more targeted attacks on the Hamas leadership, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained a pledge not to ease the war until the terrorist group no longer poses any threat. threat to Israel.
Meanwhile, while the IDF’s military objective is clear — the total destruction of Hamas — its ability to stamp out the anti-Israel sentiment that has plagued generations of Gazans will be harder to achieve.
Documents recovered by the IDF during its northern campaign prove the Hamas leadership has used youth summer camps in Gaza to indoctrinate generations against Israel and “promote a culture of resistance and Jihad values among children.”
Israeli officials say Hamas’ ability to provide a unified fighting force in northern Gaza has been destroyed. IDF
The document was written by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military branch of Hamas, in July, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, and outlines the true goals of the group’s summer camp.
Its stated goals include “promoting resistance and Jihadi culture,” fostering “spiritual, mental and physical preparation of children to face future resistance,” and efforts “to contribute to community militarization through training,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
Israel’s brutal campaign against Hamas has also left Palestinians reeling, with more than 20,000 Palestinians reportedly killed by rocket attacks and ground operations in the new year.
Among those who died recently was the son of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, Wael Al-Dahdouh. 27-year-old Hamza Wael Al-Dahdouh, a photojournalist with the outlet, was killed along with his colleagues in a rocket attack in the southern city of Khan Younis on Sunday.
More than 30,000 weapons were recovered from Hamas during the IDF’s northern Gaza campaign.
The death toll is also rising among Palestinians in the West Bank, where more than 300 people have been killed since Oct. 7.
At least seven men were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the West Bank on Sunday, according to CNN. Although IDF officials said the dead were terrorists, the news that four of the victims were siblings led to outrage among Palestinians and public funerals in the West Bank.
Complicating the already complicated situation is growing concern over the opening of a second front against Hezbollah in Lebanon as Israel and the terrorist group continue to exchange rocket fire over their border.
About eight rockets fired from inside Lebanon landed in Israel on Sunday, with IDF forces returning fire.
No casualties were reported on either side, but Israel has repeatedly warned that it is running out of patience with the Lebanese government to rein in the militarily powerful Hezbollah.
Israeli troops are patrolling part of the vast network of tunnels that Hamas has used to move into Gaza undetected. Getty Images
Netanyahu warned in a cabinet meeting Sunday that Hezbollah needs to “learn what Hamas has learned … no terrorist is immune,” according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
“We are determined to protect our people and return the northerners safely to their homes,” Netanyahu said, adding, “We will do it through diplomatic methods, and if not, we will act in other ways.”
US officials have been desperately trying to defuse rising tensions on the Lebanese border because of fears Netanyahu will open a new line to try to secure his political position, according to a report from the Washington Post.
Diplomats sent to the region have warned Israel that a recent assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that an IDF victory over Hezbollah would be hard to come by with its resources already spread across the Gaza war.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
