Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
On November 18, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it was developing its ground operations against the Hamas Movement and other Palestinian armed factions in the northern Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the IDF said that 36th Armored Division launched an offensive in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City while the 162nd Armored Division launched another offensive in the Jabalya refugee camp.
Palestinian media reported an increase in Israeli strikes on both areas. At least 50 people were killed in a strike that targeted al-Fakhoora School, which is run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, in Jabalia. Tel al-Zatar school was also targeted. Casualties were reported there.
There was also an increase in strikes on the city of Khan Yunus in southern Gaza, which indicate that the IDF may be planning to launch an offensive there too soon.
The IDF announced that it had struck dozens of Hamas targets overnight, including command rooms, rocket launch sites and weapons production labs. It also said in separate statements that two cells of Hamas, one that was attempting to booby-trap a building and another that fired rockets at central Israel, were targeted.
In response to the attack on al-Fakhoora school and other strikes, Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv and nearby areas in central Israel. The attack didn’t result in any casualties.
Earlier, the IDF released footage of the elite Duvdevan unit operating in Gaza. It said that the forces have raided several sites used by Hamas, killing fighters in the process.
Duvdevan forces found weapons and Hamas military equipment during a raid on a high school in Gaza City, according to the IDF. The forces also raided the home of a Hamas field commander, finding weapons and Hamas instructional booklets.
From its side, Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, released videos showing the launch of a suicide drones and several salvos of rockets at a gathering of Isralei troops inside Gaza and several nearby settlements.
The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also released a video showing the launch of a heavy Badr-3 rocket at a nearby settlement.
According to the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza, Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression in the Strip has surged past 12,000. The number includes more than 5,000 children and 3,300 women. At least 30,000 others have been injured.
More Palestinains will likely be killed, wounded or displaced as the IDF develops its ground operations in Gaza. This will lead to more tensions all around the Middle East.
