Israeli soldiers prepare the barrel of their cannon for firing. — © epa
The Israeli army says it has “completed the dismantling of the Hamas military structure in the north of the Gaza Strip” and says it is now focusing on dismantling the Palestinian extremist movement “in the center and south of the area.”
Source: belga, bbd
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The announcement comes exactly three months after Hamas’ deadly raid in Israel. 1,100 innocent civilians were killed. Hamas also captured more than 200 Israelis.
The Israeli offensive that followed left 22,722 dead and more than 58,000 injured, according to Palestinians.
The offensive has wiped entire neighborhoods off the map in the Gaza Strip. 1.9 million people, or 85 percent of the population according to the United Nations, are displaced and have insufficient access to water, food, medication and medical care. Most hospitals are out of service.
General Hagari. — © afp
Israel, meanwhile, claims that “the dismantling of the Hamas military structure in the north of the Gaza Strip has been completed.” In the south, Israel is changing its tactics. “We are going to do this differently. It takes time, there are no shortcuts in the fight against terrorism,” said General Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israeli army. He said it could take all year.
He added that Hamas had two brigades with 12 regiments in the northern coastal strip before the war started three months ago. “There were about 14,000 terrorists in total,” Hagari said. Since then, numerous commanders have been killed and weapons and ammunition destroyed. The soldiers had found and demolished underground tunnels.
Eight kilometers of underground tunnels and 40 entrances were found in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip alone, Hagari said. Hamas no longer functions in an organized manner in this area. “There are still terrorists in Jabalia, but now they operate without a framework and without commanders.” However, he expects further sporadic rocket attacks on Israel from the area.
Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant had already announced in November that Hamas had lost control of Gaza. However, the fighting continued. According to Israel, about 8,000 terrorists have been killed so far.
Meanwhile, there are fears in the Middle East that the war in Gaza could spread to Lebanon. US Secretary of State Blinken is in the region to calm emotions through talks.