The military’s 98th Division “launched a combined attack on the area of the city of Khan Younis, against the ‘centers of gravity’ of the Hamas terror organization,” the IDF said. Within a few hours, troops broke through the defenses of Hamas’s Khan Younis brigade, encircled the city, and began to maneuver deeper inside it, the army said.
It said troops captured Hamas strongholds, locating weapons and intelligence materials. Soldiers killed “many” Hamas operatives in ground combat and airstrikes, and located around 30 tunnel shafts that were then destroyed during the ongoing battles, as well as a weapons depot inside a mosque.
“The entire leadership of the Hamas terror organization — political and military — grew up in the area of the city of Khan Younis, including Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif. Now the city is surrounded by the 98th Division,” the IDF said.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Wednesday evening that troops were also making advances in the northern Gaza Strip, where they have been operating for more than a month: “In the last 48 hours, in Jabaliya, Shejaiya, and Khan Younis, we breached the defense lines. The terrorists are coming out from underground and fighting our forces. And our forces are winning in close-quarters combat. They have the upper hand.” READ MORE
